


Heads or Tails

by dubsdubu



Category: TWICE (Band)
Genre: Enemies to Lovers, F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-11
Updated: 2020-09-11
Packaged: 2021-03-06 18:35:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 25,998
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26413507
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dubsdubu/pseuds/dubsdubu
Summary: Kim Dahyun despised that people compared her to Minatozaki Sana. Sana was rich and beautiful, and she knew it. She also made sure everyone around her knew it too. Dahyun's family was affluent, but she kept that to herself. When your families are business competitors, people say the comparison is inevitable. Their fathers were rivals on the stock market, they were rivals on campus. Maybe they were two sides of the same coin, never to see eye to eye.
Relationships: Kim Dahyun/Minatozaki Sana
Comments: 4
Kudos: 107





	1. the toss up

The opening lyric of a particular Green Day song echoed in Dahyun's head. Summer went by far too fast for her liking. She hardly even felt it. Granted, she did spend most of her "vacation" helping her father run a multi-million dollar company. It was a family tradition like no other. 

Her great-grandfather had started it all with a small bed-and-breakfast by a seaside town; today, her family-owned over a hundred luxury hotels and resorts all across the country. Her father was the president and Dahyun was being groomed to take his place one day. 

She didn't hate it per se, but she definitely didn't enjoy it. Her life was chosen for her and everything was already predetermined. She would go to only the best schools, do well in her studies, and one day take over the company. Simple. 

It was the start of her third year at Crown College (a university known globally for its elite economics program), and she wasn't going to let anything ruin her year. Her first lecture was Advanced Microeconomics with her favorite professor, Dr. Jung Jihoon. 

It was known to be a difficult class, but Dahyun chose it because she could use it as an elective for her Major in Economics, and also because she was determined to get an internship with Dr. Jung. Even though Dahyun pretty much had a job secured with her father’s company after she graduated, she still wanted to show that she earned her place. 

Dahyun was academically successful, always ending up on the dean's list at the end of every quarter. But in turn, her social life was practically nonexistent. A lot of people knew her (because of her family), but they weren't friends or anything. She really only had two (best) friends and she was glad to have met them earlier in life, when things were less hectic. 

Tzuyu was the daughter of her father's business partner. Her family owned many famous restaurants across the country. Dahyun and Tzuyu had spent a majority of their childhood together, going on trips with their families, going to the same schools. Their friendship came naturally. 

Chaeyoung, she had met in high school thanks to Tzuyu. They all went to one of the most elite private schools in the country. But unlike Dahyun or Tzuyu whose family could afford to pay for the fees, Chaeyoung had gotten in on an art scholarship. Some kids took that opportunity to make fun of Chaeyoung for it, but Tzuyu stood up to the bullies. Chaeyoung found a friend in Tzuyu and Tzuyu introduced Chaeyoung to Dahyun. 

The three of them had been inseparable ever since. 

Dahyun was glad Tzuyu agreed to join her for Advanced Microeconomics. The other girl was only pursuing an Economics Minor with her Communications Major and definitely didn't need the advanced class, but Dahyun was very persistent. She had promised to buy Tzuyu coffee before every lecture, and so she did. 

With an iced coffee (for Tzuyu) and an iced chocolate (for herself) in hand, Dahyun waited for her best friend outside the lecture hall, slightly early for their 10 AM class. 

There were 10 minutes until the start of lecture, and many other students started streaming in, but Tzuyu was still nowhere to be found.

A few minutes later, Dahyun spotted Chaeyoung and Tzuyu in the distance. 

"Chaeng! What are you doing here?" Dahyun asked, waving at the pair before passing Tzuyu her coffee.

"I have class next door! But it looks like we'll be seeing each other every Tuesday and Thursday morning. Do I get a coffee too?"

"No, I made a deal with Tzuyu over here because she's taking this Advanced Microecon class with me. And…speaking of class, we better get going if we want to claim decent seats."

Tzuyu laughed, almost spitting out her cold brew. "Very few people sit in front, Dahyun. I'm sure you'll have plenty of chairs to choose from." 

"Meet you for lunch later, nerds!" Chaeyoung waved goodbye as she went down the hallway to her own lecture.

Dahyun and Tzuyu entered the small lecture hall where some fifty other students already sat amongst themselves. They found seats right in the front as Tzuyu predicted. The professor, Dr. Jung, walked in soon after them and immediately began to set up his equipment. A few seconds after he had dropped his stuff on the podium, a bubbly brunette made her way towards him. 

Minatozaki Sana, a fourth-year, also an Economics Major, and the bane of Dahyun's existence. Not that the older girl actually ever did anything to harm her. It was just that other people loved to talk. And from the moment she started at Crown College, whenever she was mentioned, Sana would also be mentioned; or vice-versa. 

Dahyun despised that people compared her to Minatozaki Sana. Sana was rich and beautiful, and she knew it. She also made sure everyone around her knew it too. She always wore the latest fashions and kept up a very busy social life, with an Instagram update every time she felt like showing off. 

Now, Dahyun's family was affluent, but she kept that to herself. Her social media presence, like her social life, was nonexistent. All of her accounts were private and she lived quietly-- just as she liked it. Dahyun was the polar opposite of the exuberant Minatozaki Sana. 

She never understood why people compared them, but she supposed that when your families were business competitors, the comparison became inevitable. Their fathers were rivals on the stock market, they were rivals on campus. Maybe they were just two sides of the same coin, never to see eye to eye.

Surprisingly (and unfortunately-- according to Dahyun), Advanced Microeconomics was the first time they had ever taken a class together. The younger could already feel herself getting annoyed at the idea of comparison. Now that they were in the same class, the unspoken competition between them just got a little more intense.

Sana spoke to Dr. Jung for a little bit before he handed her a mic. "Hi everyone! My name is Minatozaki Sana and I'm the external vice president of the Young Entrepreneurs Society, better known as YES. We’re having our Fall Welcome Mixer this Friday at The Fox Lounge in my father's hotel--"

Dahyun rolled her eyes as subtly as she could, but Tzuyu noticed and elbowed her. "Be nice," she hushed. 

Still, Dahyun couldn’t help it. She hated that Sana just assumed everyone knew who she was and knew the name of her father’s hotel. 

"--And I know a lot of you are upperclassmen already-- I see some familiar faces-- but there are still plenty of you I've yet to meet, so come on by. It's never too late to join YES!"

Dahyun eyed Sana as she walked back to her seat and gave her seatmate and best friend, Hirai Momo (another fourth-year), a high five. 

It was far too early for all this energy, Dahyun decided. 

"Why are you so mad?" Tzuyu asked. 

"Oh, you know why!" Dahyun grumbled. 

"Thank you for that announcement, Sana!" Dr. Jung's voice echoed, silencing all the chatter. "As some of you may know, I am the faculty advisor for YES and I highly encourage any of you to join them for their events, if you haven't done so already!" 

He looked right at Dahyun when he said the last part. Dahyun ducked her head, pretending not to hear any of it. 

"Anyway, welcome to a new school year, and welcome to Advanced Microeconomics! Let's begin with the syllabus… and then a pop quiz."

  
  
  


* * *

Some two hours later, the professor ended the lecture and all the students quickly tried to leave for lunch. Perhaps the worst part about sitting in the front was leaving last, Dahyun thought. She had gotten used to it over time and some bigger lecture halls even had exits by the front, so she really didn't mind. 

But today was an exception. 

Sana stood by the only exit to the room, passing out flyers for her Fall Welcome Mixer, trying to get more people to join her club. Dahyun accepted the little sheet of paper with a fake smile and said thanks before quickly crumpling it and shoving it in her back pocket. She pulled Tzuyu away.

"You really hate her, don't you? I can feel your seething resentment from here," Tzuyu teased, "What I don't understand is why." 

Dahyun shrugged. "I just don't like her type…"

"What type?" 

"Rich? I don't know--"

"You're rich too!" Tzuyu scoffed. 

Dahyun waved her off. "Yeah but I don't go around flexing it. It's like she wants everyone to know how perfect she is."

Tzuyu raised a brow and stopped dead in her tracks. "You think she's perfect?" 

"I didn't say that."

"Uhh… yeah… you kinda did."

"Sure… she's rich and pretty, but I bet you, Minatozaki Sana didn't get into this school on her own."

"You want to say that again to my face, Kim Dahyun?" a voice interjected from behind them.

What Dahyun once thought was a private conversation apparently was not. 

Dahyun turned around slowly, her lips sealed into a smile, and her eyes practically twitching from slight embarrassment but mostly fear. 

“Sana! Hey! Didn’t see you there…”

Sana narrowed her eyes. “Do you have a problem with me?”

In her panic, Dahyun replied, “And if I say yes?”

“You don’t even know me!” Sana gasped.

Dahyun wanted to stop her mouth, but the words kept coming. “Oh, I’ve heard enough about you, Sana. Your reputation precedes you.”

“Yeah? What did you hear?”

“That your parents paid to get you into this school. And now, just because my parents happen to be rich, everyone thinks I’m exactly like you. Some of us actually worked hard to get here, you know?”

Sana’s jaw slacked. She lifted her fist as if she was ready to throw a punch. “You little punk--”

Luckily for Dahyun, Momo had been around. “That’s enough, Sana. Come on, don’t waste your time on the ignorant.”

When the two older girls had gotten far enough, Tzuyu slapped Dahyun’s arm causing the shorter girl to yelp in pain. “What the hell was that!” Tzuyu reprimanded. 

“I panicked! Crap-- I sounded like such an asshole!”

“You have to apologize!”

“Ugh-- do I really have to? I’m sure she’s fine. She’s got a thousand followers telling her how great she is. What does my opinion matter to THE Minatozaki Sana?”

“I’m telling Chaeyoung you’re being a brat.” 

Dahyun allowed Tzuyu to drag her all the way to the Pavilion where they were set to meet Chaeng for lunch. 

The school year had just begun and she was already tired.

She hoped things would get better.

  
  
  


* * *

After hours of grumbling, Dahyun finally agreed to apologize to Sana. She and her friends decided that it was probably best for her to let the older girl cool off for a day or two, and maybe try apologizing at the YES Fall Welcome Mixer. 

It seemed like a foolproof plan at first. All Dahyun had to do was show up, find Sana, apologize, and then she could leave guilt-free. What they didn’t anticipate to happen was how difficult it was to find Sana because the lounge was extremely packed with students. Dahyun hated big crowds and loud music, so she was glad to have Chaeyoung and Tzuyu around to accompany her. 

When they had first arrived, they were greeted by Yoo Jeongyeon and Park Jihyo who were other members of the YES Executive Committee.

“Hi, I’ve never seen you three at our events! Welcome in! There’s food and drinks by the stage and feel free to mingle and meet new people!” Jihyo had to yell because the music was a little too loud.

“If you don’t mind, please sign in here with your name and email addresses!” Jeongyeon added.

“Look, we aren’t planning to stay long!” Dahyun shouted back, “I just need to find Sana! Have you seen her?”

“Minatozaki Sana?”

“Yes, the one and only!”

“I don’t think she’s here yet! But feel free to wait around for her!” Jeongyeon motioned for them to proceed inside before talking to the next person in line.

Dahyun, Chaeyoung, and Tzuyu found themselves at the center of the dance floor waiting for Minatozaki Sana to appear. They waited for thirty minutes, jamming out to whatever songs the DJ decided to play, keeping an eye out for Sana. But then the three of them started feeling the heat as the crowd continued to grow. It wasn't long before they decided to exit and just wait outside. 

Fortunately, their search for the girl came to an end when they found Sana nursing a huge bottle of water, sitting on the floor, outside the lounge on her own. She looked rather disheveled, but then again, so did everyone else. Sana didn't notice they had been looking at her.

"Uh…do I really have to do this?" Dahyun whined.

"Yes, now go!" Chaeyoung pushed her forward, Dahyun almost losing her balance as a result. 

"Sana, hi!" Dahyun squeaked. Her nose twitched at the strong scent of alcohol that the girl in front of her reeked of. "Are you okay?"

"Huh?" Sana looked up and glared at Dahyun. She struggled to stand, but eventually did. "What do you want?" 

"I'm sorry, okay? For what I said the other day. It was uncalled for." Dahyun rubbed the back of her neck in shame. 

Part of her felt stupid for apologizing to a drunk girl who probably wouldn't even remember it the next morning. But to appease her friends and her own conscience, Dahyun did it anyway. 

"Peace?" Dahyun offered a hand for Sana to shake. 

But instead of feeling Sana's hand holding hers for a handshake, Dahyun felt ice cold water hitting her face, then seeping through her clothes, soaking her from head to toe. Everything happened too fast and she was far too shocked to even react properly. 

Dahyun stood there for a good second before Chaeyoung, Tzuyu, Nayeon, and Momo came running towards them. Momo and Nayeon pulled Sana away, looking apologetically at Dahyun. Chaeyoung laughed as she tried to dry up her best friend. Tzuyu on the other hand looked worried because Dahyun still hadn't moved.

"Let's get out of here," Dahyun finally said, huffing out a sharp breath as she did so. 

This was what she got for trying to be a better person. 

Dahyun, Chaeyoung, and Tzuyu started making their way towards the hotel exit. But before they could get too far, Dahyun heard some voices calling her name. 

"Hey! Dahyun, wait!" It was Jeongyeon and Jihyo again. The two were running towards them.

"You're Kim Dahyun, right?" Jeongyeon asked, "It didn't click earlier, but I knew I recognized you! Econ Major, right? I've seen you in some of my classes. You always set the curve."

"You're Prof. Jung's prodigy!" Jihyo added. 

Dahyun felt sheepish. "Uh...yeah...I guess that's what people say. I'm really not though."

"Look-- um-- sorry about Sana." Jeongyeon sighed. 

"It's fine. I think I kind of deserved it anyway." 

Jihyo waved both her hands in protest. "No, don't say that. Just please excuse her. She's had one too many drinks is all." 

"I thought this was a dry party," said Tzuyu.

"Oh it is," Jeongyeon defended, "But she drank before she came here. Nayeon and Momo had to pick her up from wherever she was. She's not usually like this, I swear."

"Sorry…" Jihyo repeated, "Please, let us make it up to you!"

"It's fine. You two didn't do anything wrong." Dahyun smiled before she walked off. 

  
  
  


* * *

The next time Dahyun saw Sana again, they were both in class early on a Tuesday morning, sitting in the same row, several chairs apart. Neither Tzuyu nor Momo had arrived yet, leaving the two alone. 

Dahyun tried her best to ignore the older girl, but she could feel eyes boring into her. Dahyun turned her head slightly, side-eyeing Sana. The older girl really knew how to push her buttons. If Tzuyu hadn't walked in, Dahyun would have walked over and confronted Sana.

Over the course of the two-hour lecture, Dahyun counted the number of times Sana shot daggers her way. As the lecture drew to a close, Dahyun debated whether or not it was a good idea to go talk to Sana and settle things once and for all. 

As it turned out, she didn't need to worry. Sana was already one step ahead. As soon as the lecture ended, Sana marched over towards Dahyun and stopped the girl from leaving her seat. Tzuyu took it as a sign to step away and give them a little privacy.

"What's your problem, huh? Why do you keep staring at me!" Sana asked softly, making sure Dahyun was the only one who heard her. 

Dahyun couldn’t believe what she was hearing. "Are you for real? You've got some nerve, Sana! After last Friday, I think you owe me an apology."

"What are you talking about?" Sana looked absolutely lost.

"You really don't remember, do you?"

The older girl’s eyes grew wide. "Did we do something?" she whispered, a slight blush forming on her cheek.

"What! Ew, no!” Dahyun yelled, causing Tzuyu to look their way. “I went to your stupid mixer to apologize for what I said to you. But then you threw water in my face. You were drunk as hell, so I guess I can't really blame you for forgetting."

"Oh-- uh-- I guess I should apologize for that. Sorry.” Sana shrugged. “But hey, I was drunk. What's your excuse?" 

Dahyun narrowed her eyes. "Ugh...I said I was sorry. I didn't know you were behind me. I wouldn’t have said it otherwise.”

"So you’re apologizing because I heard you? Great. You still believe it, don't you?"

"Does it matter if I do?"

Sana’s expression completely changed. She actually looked hurt. 

“No, you're right. You really don't matter." With that, Sana left the room, picking up Momo who had been waiting by the door.

Dahyun wondered if she took things too far. 

  
  
  


* * *

By the following week, it seemed as though tensions between Dahyun and Sana were simmering down once again. The two simply went on pretending the other didn't exist, taking turns to answer Dr. Jung's questions during the lecture.

At the end of class, Dr. Jung called Dahyun up before she had the chance to leave for lunch with Tzuyu. Dahyun asked Tzuyu to wait for her outside. 

Since he hadn't called anyone else up, Dahyun began to worry. She feared she did something to disappoint him. 

"Hi, Dr. Jung…" she said once she got close enough.

"Hi, Dahyun--"

"Is this about my pop quiz score? I can do better next time. I was just busy during the summer--"

Dr. Jung laughed. He was still fairly young for a professor, so he understood the stress a lot of his students faced. "Relax, kid! It's not about the pop quiz, which you got 100% on, by the way" 

Dahyun heaved a sigh of relief. "Oh…okay, that's great. What's up then?"

The professor made a face that reminded Dahyun of times when she would go to the doctor's office and they had to tell her that she'd had to get blood drawn. She hated needles. "I need to ask you for a favor… and I know you may not be interested. But hey, I’ll give you internship credit for it.”

“What do you need help with?” asked Dahyun, apprehension growing.

“You know YES, right?”

Dahyun nodded. She feared where this discussion was heading. 

“Well, you see… the thing is…they need a new treasurer. The student who was supposed to take the role backed out and I thought you would make a good replacement.”

It was as she had suspected, but worse. Dahyun thought the professor was only going to ask her to attend an event, but to join them as an executive member? To see Sana more often than she had to? Dahyun could think of a million better things to do.

“No offense, professor, but YES doesn’t really do anything enriching-- it’s more like a social club," she put bluntly.

Dr. Jung raised a brow. “Have you ever been?”

“I attended the Welcome Mixer two weeks ago, but that’s about it.”

“That’s a good start. You should give YES a shot. I promise you they do a lot more programming than socials.”

Even though part of Dahyun detested the idea of working with Sana, a bigger part of her did not want to disappoint her favorite professor. Perhaps if she was successful as YES's treasurer, he would actually offer her a proper internship with his research lab. 

“So, let me get this right: if I do this-- become their treasurer or whatever-- I can get internship credit?”

“Yeah, I’ll sign off on it personally.”

Dahyun couldn’t ignore the fact that this opportunity could lead to something more in the future. Perhaps she would give it a shot. How bad could it be?

“You got yourself a deal, Dr. Jung!”

“Great! The executive committee meets tonight at 5:30 PM at the Student Center, Meeting Room C. I’ll see you then?”

“Sure, I’ll be there.”

  
  
  


* * *

Dahyun's friends wished her luck when they heard about her plan to join YES's Executive Committee. She didn’t need luck, she thought; she needed patience.

It was 5:15 PM on a Tuesday afternoon and Dahyun had more than enough time to walk from the parking lot to the meeting room without appearing too eager for being early. She checked her phone for time before entering the room. 5:25 PM, just nice. 

The newly appointed treasurer took a deep breath in and opened the door. Of course, the first face she just had to see was Sana’s. She looked mildly offended by Dahyun’s presence, her mouth hanging open just a tad.

Sana then stood up. “Umm… this is a closed meeting. ExCo members only,” she said matter-of-factly. 

Dahyun sighed. Before she could formulate a reply, Dr. Jung burst through the door and everyone turned their attention to him

“Hello, everyone, sorry to drop in on your meeting, but I have good news for you! I found a replacement for the treasurer position. Though, it looks like you’ve already met her,” Dr. Jung laughed to himself. “I was hoping to beat her here, but I guess she’s an early bird.”

Sana looked back at Dahyun and closed her eyes. She was not taking the news well. Maybe Dahyun could actually have some fun with this.

“So, Kim Dahyun, this is YES’s Executive Committee. ExCo, this is Dahyun, your new treasurer. She’s done extremely well in all my classes and I’m sure she’ll be a great asset to the team. Why don’t you ladies go around the room and introduce yourselves!”

Jeongyeon beamed as she made her way to greet Dahyun. “Hi, I’m Yoo Jeongyeon, the president. I’m a fourth-year Econ Major and uh-- I’m very happy to have you here today. We could always use the help.” 

“Hey, Dahyun, I’m Park Jihyo -- internal VP. Also a fourth-year, but I’m a Communications Major. It’s nice to have you on board.”

Sana huffed. “Minatozaki Sana, fourth-year Econ Major. I’m the external vice president.”

“Where is Nayeon?” Dr. Jung asked. 

“Present!” Nayeon shouted as she walked into the room. “Hi, Dr. J, what are you doing here? You’re hardly ever at our ExCo meetings.”

“I’m here today to bring you all a gift! Dahyun has volunteered to be YES’s treasurer for this school year. Dahyun-- this is Im Nayeon. She’s the secretary.”

“Hi, everyone, my name is Kim Dahyun. I’m a third-year Econ Major, and I guess I’m your new treasurer.” Dahyun smiled at everyone around the room (even at Sana).

“Oh my gosh! You’re a baby-- so cute,” Nayeon fawned over Dahyun.

Dr. Jung was smiling from ear to ear. “Well, Dahyun, you’re in good hands. I’ll see you in class on Thursday-- you too, Sana. Bye, everyone!” 

Everyone began to sit around the large table at the center. Dahyun chose a spot beside Jihyo and Jeongyeon, knowing it was probably best for her to steer clear of Minatozaki Sana. 

“Now that we have Dahyun with us, she needs to get set up with her Campus Recreation accounts and all of that administrative stuff,” Jeongyeon said, “Sana, since you were the last treasurer, please help Dahyun set that up at another time?”

“Do I have to do it?” Sana protested.

Jeong glared at her. “Yes…”

“I’ll do it!” Nayeon raised her hand and winked at Dahyun. “Just tell me where to meet you, cutie, and I’ll be there. It’s a date.”

Dahyun was rendered speechless. “I-- uh--”

“You know what, nevermind--” Sana pulled Nayeon’s hand down forcefully. “I’ll do it. Just meet me after class on Thursday.”

“Great, now that that’s settled, shall we move on to the agenda?” asked Jihyo.

Everyone nodded.

Jeongyeon then proceeded to go over the events they had coming up. The closest one was a small alumni panel with networking opportunities for current students. Jihyo and Nayeon were primarily in charge of the event, but Dahyun watched as the other members of ExCo contributed ideas and assigned themselves tasks to accomplish too. 

As an outsider, it was like watching a well-oiled machine run. She wondered what she could possibly add to the team in the future. 

And maybe, just maybe, she was actually a little excited.

  
  
  


* * *

As they had agreed upon, Sana and Dahyun met up after their lecture the following Thursday. They each brought a friend because they didn’t want to be seen alone with the other. Dahyun brought Tzuyu, and Sana brought Momo. It was most convenient since they all had class together anyway.

Each pair walked their separate way towards the Pavilion. When they got to a section with empty chairs and tables. Sana designated seats for each person. She placed Tzuyu across from Dahyun and on the adjacent table Momo sat across from her. 

“I don’t want people making up rumors that we’re friends-- because we aren’t” Sana said, clearly addressing Dahyun, but never turning to actually face the girl.

Dahyun rolled her eyes. She mimicked Sana, “Yeah, well I don’t want to be friends with you anyway!”

Tzuyu and Momo stared at each other, both dumbfounded by their best friends’ childish behaviors. They let Sana and Dahyun bicker amongst themselves for a couple of minutes. It was quite amazing really; they argued without even facing each other.

“Do you want to get out of here?” Momo asked Tzuyu.

Tzuyu agreed and they both slipped away. 

“Hey! Where are you two going?” Sana called out. 

“Don’t leave us!” Dahyun begged. 

But Momo and Tzuyu kept walking away.

“Now look what you’ve done!” Sana hissed.

“Me? You started it!” 

It soon became pointless to sit on two adjacent tables. Dahyun moved herself over to sit across from Sana.

“Look, just help me set up all these accounts and we can go our separate ways.”

“Okay, okay, just take out your laptop already.”

After a few minutes, Dahyun was able to set up her Campus Recreation account, making her the official YES Treasurer on paper. Sana then started to show her all of YES’s financial accounts, which brought up a lot of questions for Dahyun, ending their peace streak. 

“Why do you keep asking so many things?” Sana grumbled, “We’re already done with all the set up. Just leave it already.”

Dahyun packed up her laptop, but quickly proceeded to ask her questions before Sana could get up and leave her. “I just want to know why you all chose to use outside banks to manage your funds instead of putting money in your existing on-campus account.”

“I don’t know! Ugh-- that’s just how it’s always been done. I never questioned it.”

“YES already has a Campus Recreation account, all we need to do is put some money in it and then we can have free access to classrooms for future events, and we can even get grant funding for bigger events too.”

“Wow, that’s actually not too bad. How did you already know all of this stuff?”

“I did my research yesterday. I figured that I might as well familiarize myself with the duties of the treasurer.”

“Okay…well, you can suggest this idea at our ExCo meeting on Tuesday and we can see what the rest have to say.” Sana flashed her a smile of approval. “Maybe Professor Jung was right about you. Welcome to the team.”

“Is that you being friendly to me, Miss Minatozaki?” Dahyun wriggled her eyebrows at Sana.

The older girl laughed. “Please don’t get ahead of yourself, Dahyun. We’re not friends. I have standards. I don’t hang around snobs.” 

Dahyun couldn’t tell if Sana was being sarcastic or if she really meant what she had said. “I’m a snob? Says who?”

“You didn’t know?” Sana covered her mouth with her hand playfully. “I guess your reputation precedes you too, Miss Kim. See you next week.”

Sana winked and left Dahyun alone. 

  
  
  


* * *

Over the weekend Dahyun met up with Chaeyoung and Tzuyu for some lunch. Sana’s words had left her contemplating her actions and how she had treated people in the past. She wondered if Sana was right about her. Even unintentionally, had she really been shutting people out all this time?

“Am I a snob?” Dahyun thought out loud, dropping a spoonful of food on her plate.

“What? No! You’re like really nice…” Tzuyu replied. 

“If anything, you’re just quiet--” Chaeyoung added midbite, "And it's not a bad thing."

Dahyun frowned. “But that’s because I have nothing to say to people! I mean, I would talk to them if they talked to me first. But nobody really initiates any conversations with me...”

Tzuyu tilted her head sideways, looking at Dahyun all pitiful. “I talk to you, buddy.”

As much as she wanted to comfort Dahyun, it didn’t really work. 

“Tzuyu, we’ve known each other since we were kids. You were forced to talk to me. That doesn’t count.”

Dahyun recalled the first time she met Tzuyu; Tzuyu’s father had to make the girl talk to her. Neither of them wanted to be at that meeting. Though, it wasn’t actually that awkward for long; she and Tzuyu quickly got comfortable with each other. 

Kids just had no shame like that. Life was simpler.

“How about high school? Chaeyoung talked to you,” suggested Tzuyu.

But of course, Dahyun knew why Chaeng had wanted to talk to her then. “That’s because she wanted to be your friend, not mine.”

Chaeyoung frowned. “That may be true, but I enjoy talking to you now. You two are my best friends. Wouldn’t trade you for the world.” Chaeng reached out for both their hands, squeezing them gently.

And once again, Dahyun was glad to have them around.

“See… you’re a nice person,” Tzuyu affirmed, “But why did you ask us such a random question anyway?” 

“Sana called me a snob the other day,” Dahyun sighed, “Do people really think that?”

Chaeyoung shrugged. “I don’t know, but who cares anyway! I don’t listen to that pointless gossip. All that talk is stupid.” 

“You’re right, Chaeng!”

“Sounds like your date with Sana ended well,” Tzuyu teased.

“Yeah, yeah. How was your ‘date’ with Momo?”

“It was really nice actually. We ended up talking over lunch and realized we had a lot of stuff in common. Kinda like you and Sana, except we don’t hate each other. I’m planning to meet her again.” Tzuyu smiled inwardly. She was blushing.

“Seriously?” Dahyun raised an eyebrow.

Tzuyu nodded. “Yeah, it turns out her parents own a couple of restaurants in the city and she wants to take me to one so she can cook for me," gushed her taller friend, "She’s actually a Culinary Arts Major but is pursuing an Econ Minor. Pretty cool, huh?”

“That is quite cool," Dahyun admitted. She didn’t know much about Momo.

“Maybe you should try getting to know Sana. She might surprise you.”

“And what?" Dahyun scoffed, "Take me to one of her father’s resorts? No thanks, I already have that.”

“Suit yourself, Dahyun. You don’t know what you’re missing.”

Dahyun wouldn’t admit it out loud, but she was actually quite intrigued by Sana.

  
  
  


* * *

At the next YES ExCo meeting, Dahyun decided to bring some cupcakes to show Sana that she could also be good with people. She wasn't a snob and she wanted to prove it to the girl. 

Before heading over to the meeting, she made sure to stop by Tzuyu’s mother's cafe which was known to have really good desserts. Cupcakes were their specialty. 

Dahyun walked into the meeting room to find Sana sitting alone. They were both a little early. 

Sana saw the box and immediately recognized the packaging. "Are you trying to get on my good side, Miss Kim?"

"Who said you were getting one, Miss Minatozaki?" Dahyun strolled in and placed the cupcakes just out of Sana’s reach. "These are for my friends, and as I recall, you didn't want to be friends with a snob like me."

"Ugh-- you are the worst! Whatever-- I wasn't hungry anyway." Sana rolled her eyes and continued to go on her phone.

But Dahyun didn't want to lose whatever game Sana was playing. 

"Really? Even if these were red velvet cupcakes? I heard from a little bird that those were your favorites."

Dahyun may or may not have stalked a particular person's Instagram account to find out some things about her. It was purely for research purposes. Nothing more.

"I can always get some for myself later," Sana argued.

"But these are from all the way across town. The shop would be closed by the time you reach. Shame."

Sana finally dropped her phone and stood up. She narrowed her eyes at Dahyun. "Momo makes great cupcakes. I'll just ask her for some."

"Doesn't she have plans with a new friend tonight?"

Sana took a step closer to the cupcakes, challenging Dahyun. "Right… I forgot about that. She's going out with your friend, Tzuyu, who is so much nicer than you-- just saying." Sana tried to reach for one.

Dahyun stood her ground, blocked Sana’s hand, and stared the older girl down. "I know that. Tzuyu is the sweetest person ever, so Momo better not hurt her."

"Please, Momo won't even hurt a fly. Tzuyu better treat her like the princess she is." Sana placed her hand over Dahyun's. 

Dahyun flinched at the contact, but she continued the conversation, "Oh she will. I guarantee it."

"Good."

"Great!"

"Even better--"

"Are you two done with whatever this is?" Nayeon asked, making her presence known. 

The pair instantly jolted apart.

Sana sat back down on her chair. "Yeah, we're good."

Dahyun cleared her throat and opened the box of cupcakes again for Nayeon to see. "Want a cupcake?" she offered.

"Don't mind if I do! Thanks, cutie!" Nayeon shot her another wink before grabbing a cupcake. 

Dahyun stuck out her tongue at Sana. Although, she wasn't really sure if she had won. 

  
  
  


* * *

After the ExCo meeting, Sana had made plans to have dinner with Nayeon. Technically Momo would have been invited too, had she not already scheduled herself a date. 

Sana picked a nearby ramen place for them to eat at. 

As they waited for their food, Sana finally had the opportunity to tell Nayeon what she had been meaning to say for a while. 

"Hey, can you not flirt with Kim Dahyun?" Sana asked begrudgingly.

Nayeon chuckled. "Why? Are you jealous?" 

"Ew! No way!" Sana yelled, drawing a lot of attention to their table. She quickly ducked her head in embarrassment. "No, she's so not my type," Sana hushed this time. 

"She is totally your type," Nayeon rebutted. 

"No."

"Would you like to put your money where your mouth is? Shall we make a bet? I need some cash."

"I'm not going to lose, Nayeon." Sana shook her head, amused by her best friend's ridiculous insinuation.

"A hundred bucks says you two will be dating by the end of the term." Nayeon held out a hand for Sana to shake.

"You're on."

Nayeon had a smug look on her face. "You might as well pay for my dinner now."

"I always pay for your dinner," Sana chuckled. 

"Pfft...whatever. You're gonna lose this bet, Sana."

"No, I'm not. She's too full of herself," Sana said matter-of-factly, "Kim Dahyun thinks she's better than everyone else and she probably convinced herself that she's the smartest person in whatever room she's in."

"Isn't she though? Like isn't she some super-smart prodigy or something?"

"Some genius with a high IQ but can't post a decent EQ shouldn't be praised. She may be book smart, but she's definitely not people smart."

Nayeon pursed her lips. "What do you mean? She seems quite nice!"

"Maybe to you!" Sana protested.

"Yeah, but that's because I'm not an asshole to her."

"She started it!"

"You're not making it any better though."

"Ugh-- whatever."

Nayeon sighed and for the first time that evening, she actually looked serious. "You should start over. It'll be better for you two. Anyway, I don't know how much longer I can deal with all the bickering."

Sana couldn't imagine how she would even begin to ask Dahyun to start over. They were both far too stubborn. But in all honesty, she was getting tired of the fighting.

  
  
  


* * *

The alumni panel and networking event had gone all according to plan. Dahyun and Sana surprised themselves by surviving a week without arguing over something pointless. Dahyun actually began to think that maybe she could get along with Sana. 

However, at the following ExCo meeting, Jeongyeon announced that the next event YES would be putting on was a fundraiser. And as treasurer, it was Dahyun’s duty to oversee the said event. But because she was new, Jihyo suggested that Sana should also plan the event with her.

Dahyun saw Sana’s face immediately fall when her name was brought up. They had worked fine when others were around, but having to meet up separately again, Dahyun wasn’t so sure their new found peace would last.

Since they had already been out for that evening, Dahyun suggested meeting up after dinner (which they would eat separately), at a cafe to work on their plans. Sana apparently didn’t have her car and didn’t want to stay out too late, but Dahyun insisted she didn’t mind dropping her off at home.

"See you at the Rainforest Cafe?" Dahyun asked.

Sana bobbed her head lazily.

"9:00 PM?" 

The older girl barely mumbled a response before leaving with Nayeon.

Dahyun arrived at the cafe at 9:00 PM, as they agreed upon. She chose a table outside, wanting to feel the cool breeze. Sana, however, didn’t arrive for another 20 minutes. She was dropped off by Nayeon, who waved at Dahyun from the car. It seemed like Sana was already annoyed before she even saw Dahyun’s face. 

Dahyun wondered how much Sana hated her. “Well, aren’t you early?” she greeted Sana sarcastically, fully expecting the girl to have a witty comeback.

But Sana just glared at her. She didn’t seem like she was in the mood to mess around. Dahyun cleared her throat and took out her laptop. She knew then that it was going to be a painful night.

The pair tried to work together for a good 15 minutes, but every idea Dahyun had, Sana just shut down. Dahyun typically didn't mind having her ideas rejected; however, Sana refused to come up with anything to help. 

"Look, if you didn't want to be here, you really didn't have to," Dahyun sneered.

"I'm here, aren't I?" Sana barked back. 

"Well, you could at least do some work instead of leaving everything up to me," Dahyun began to raise her voice. "How could you ever expect anyone to believe you got into our school when you can't even be bothered to work for something as simple as this!" 

Sana's breath hitched. "You really are the worst, Kim Dahyun." 

Dahyun blinked and took a shallow breath, realizing what she had said. She froze, immediately feeling quite terrible.

Sana stood up and began to walk away. 

"Wait! Sana!"

"I'm sorry, Dahyun! I'm sorry that I'm not a robot like you."

Dahyun tried to reach out for Sana, but she just kept on walking. "Sana, I'm sorry. Hey, where are you going?"

"I'm walking home."

"No, you are not. Look, I'm really sorry, okay? that was uncalled for. I didn't mean to hurt your feelings.”

Sana stopped and turned around. "Yeah, but you believed it right? All those things people say about me, you believe them, don't you?" Sana’s voice trembled. "It's not true, you know? I worked just as hard as you or anyone else to get into this damn school."

Dahyun watched as tears began to fall down Sana's cheeks. She wished she could rewind time and take back what she had said. 

"Well, I'm sick of it! My parents tell me to work hard, end up on top, and people will remember me for my work. But it's never enough. No matter what I do, I'm just not good enough!" Sana yelled.

Dahyun could feel Sana’s pain. 

The older girl took a few breaths in before continuing, "You know I even took it upon myself to pay for my own college education? But even then, people think I'm just taking handouts all the time. I'll never be enough. Not in your eyes, not in our classmates' eyes, and absolutely not in my parents' eyes."

"I'm sorry, Sana. I really am. I wish I could take back what I said, but I can’t.” Dahyun paused to let Sana know she was serious. “Please, Sana, let me make it up to you," Dahyun wiped away the tear that fell on Sana’s cheek. She resonated with everything the older girl had said. 

Sana sighed and closed her eyes. She took a few seconds to steady herself. “What did you have in mind?”

"Umm-- do you want to get out of here? I can bring you home now, if you want." 

Sana shook her head. "No, I don't want to go home."

"Okay, that’s fine. Name a place and I'll drive us there."

"Can you take me to the boardwalk?"

Dahyun raised a brow. "You want to go to the beach at this hour?"

"Yeah, I only really go there at night. It's a great place to clear your head." 

When the corner of Sana's lips curved into a slight smile, Dahyun was finally able to take a breath. "Okay, the beach it is." 

Dahyun walked them over to where she'd parked her car, checking every now and then to make sure Sana was still smiling-- or at least not crying. In the time it took them to reach her car, it seemed that Sana had almost returned back to her regular bubbly self. 

Dahyun’s car had been a present for when she finished her first year at Crown at the top of her class. It was her baby; she had chosen it off the showroom floor and she loved it quite a lot.

"A Lexus ES 300h? It's a hybrid, right?" 

Dahyun was surprised that Sana knew what car it was, "Yeah, I picked it for that specific reason."

"Did you give it a name?" Sana smirked teasingly.

"Pfft… no…" Dahyun opened the passenger door for Sana.

Dahyun actually called her car Dubu (because of its off-white color). But Sana didn't need to know that. Dubu was going to take them to the beach and Dahyun was just relieved to see glimpses of the playful Sana coming back. 

In that moment, that was all that mattered.


	2. the flipside

Dahyun parked her car right off the boardwalk and was about to hop out, but Sana pulled her back inside.

"Let's just stay in the car for now."

"Okay, sure."

The two of them sat in silence, just listening to the quiet hum of the engine. Neither of them had their phones out or anything. They just sat there, staring blankly into space. 

"I'm really sorry, Sana," Dahyun whispered, "About earlier and for everything. I judged you before I even gave you a chance." 

"It's okay, Dahyun. I’m really no better. I buy into all that gossip too," Sana sighed, "Maybe Nayeon was right…"

"Right about what?" 

"I would really like to have a do-over, if that's okay with you."

"That would be nice. I'd like that a lot." 

Sana smiled. "So… tell me about yourself. Who is Kim Dahyun?" 

"That's a loaded question. I guess you can say that my parents have high expectations of me. Everything I do has to be according to my father's plan and I have to execute it perfectly. Failure is not an option."

"Have you ever tried to rebel?"

Dahyun laughed and pointed to her hair. "When I was in high school, Chaeyoung convinced me to dye my hair blonde against my father's wishes."

"How did that go?"

"I almost got disowned, but my mother said she liked the color on me, so my father allowed me to keep it. But as a consequence, my father began to control who I got to see and when,” Dahyun said casually. 

She began drumming her fingers on the steering wheel in front of her, thinking back about how little control she had of her life choices. 

“And he also made sure to keep me busy with extra classes, so I hardly ever had time to make friends nor did I have the mental capacity to entertain anyone. I'm just lucky Chaeng and Tzuyu never left me.” Dahyun bit her lip trying to hold back her tears. 

"Honestly, I'm just exhausted. Sometimes I just want to breathe a little. Maybe that’s why I dyed my hair blonde again. My father still didn’t like it of course. He hardly ever approves of my choices. The only reason he allowed me to join YES was because I was getting internship credit."

"Wait, you're getting internship credit for this? What the-- I'm not getting anything." 

"Got a good deal with the professor,” Dahyun chuckled. 

"So, did you have to tell your father about our meeting tonight?"

Dahyun shrugged. "I should have, but I didn't."

"Look at you, you're already learning to give yourself space and breathe."

"I guess you're right…” Dahyun smiled inwardly and then looked up at Sana, now curious to learn more about her. "So, how about you, Miss Minatozaki? What's your deal?"

Sana puffed up her cheeks before she spoke, "I don't have brains like you, Dahyun. But I try my best to make up for it with effort. My father-- he says it's not enough though. The world won't remember second place."

The older girl looked far into the distance and sighed. A sigh that carried so much weight that Dahyun felt it from where she sat.

"He gives me freedom at least, but that just gives him more of a reason to blame me for my inadequacies. ‘Oh you didn’t get an A on this test because’-- blah-- I really shouldn't be complaining though. I have it better than a lot of people."

"You should be allowed to feel good about yourself, Sana.” Dahyun reached over to hold Sana’s hand. “You are also allowed to feel hurt when people hurt you. But know this: you are enough.” Dahyun ran her fingers over Sana’s knuckles. “I'm sure I'm not the only one who thinks it. But you don't need to hear it from me for it to be true."

Things Kim Dahyun never expected: 

  1. To be comforting Minatozaki Sana in her car, parked by the beach, late on a Tuesday night
  2. To be hugged by Minatozaki Sana for said comforting



But she let it happen anyway. Dahyun let Sana lean over the console and wrap her in a tight embrace. She could hear Sana's little sniffles and it made her want to hold the older girl much tighter.

Dahyun lost track of how long they'd been in the same position. But she eventually began to feel a little conscious and Sana must have noticed too. Sana pulled away and laughed softly, wiping her tears. 

"Come on, let's go get some fresh air." Sana stepped out of the car and stretched her limbs. 

By the time Dahyun got out, Sana was already on the sand, walking towards the water. It was a cold September night and the wind was quite relentless. Dahyun had left her hoodie in the backseat of her car, but she didn’t want to lose sight of Sana, so she kept on going without it.

They weren’t the only ones at the beach, but there wasn’t much of a crowd either. Just a few other people minding their own business scattered along the coast. 

“Sana, where are you going?” Dahyun asked.

“To the water! Where else!”

“It’s cold though…”

“It never stopped me before.” Sana ran in, clothes and all, and screamed when a wave crashed into her. She sat down on the shallows and dipped her head in the water. “What are you waiting for?” Sana asked.

“What?”

“Come in!”

Dahyun shook her head. “No, I think I’m good over here.”

“You’ve got nothing to lose, Dahyun,” Sana came ashore and started walking towards her. The older girl held out a hand for her to take. 

Dahyun hesitated, but only for a moment. She looked into Sana’s eyes -- now red from the seawater and probably all the crying-- and she felt her heart skip a beat. In those eyes, she saw vulnerability, but also strength. An understanding that she wasn’t a perfect person and that was okay, because all she had to be was herself. 

For the first time, in a really long time, Dahyun felt calm, even though her heart was pounding in its cage. 

Dahyun took Sana’s hand and allowed Sana to pull her into the water.

With all her emotions, Dahyun expected to be greeted by some warmth; but she was still, of course, going into the ocean. And unlike what she had imagined in her head, the water was actually freezing. An incoming wave pulled Dahyun from the stars she saw in Sana’s eyes back to reality. She let out a squeal, which made Sana laugh.

“It’s freezing! What made you think this was a good idea!” Dahyun yelped, struggling to keep her footing as the sand beneath her shifted with her weight. 

“I never said it was,” Sana replied, “Sometimes you just have to do things because you want to, and those things, they make you happy -- even for just a little bit. They don’t always have to be a good idea.”

“I guess I never thought of it that way. Thanks, Sana,” Dahyun said just before sending a barrage of water towards Sana. 

They were both soaked from head to toe after a minute or two of relentless water flinging.

“Okay, okay, you win!” Dahyun raised both her hands in defeat. 

Sana laughed, but Dahyun noticed that the older girl was already trembling. She walked close to hold Sana and felt just how much her body temperature had dropped.

“I think it’s time to go,” Dahyun suggested.

Sana nodded, snuggling closer to Dahyun. “Mmm… okay…”

Seeing as they didn’t have any spare clothes, Dahyun offered Sana her hoodie from the backseat of her car. 

“What about you?” Sana asked.

“You were in the water longer. I’m okay, don’t worry about me.”

Sana hesitated but she put it on eventually. “Thanks, Dahyun.”

“No problem. Now, let's get you home. It's late and it's cold, and I don't want you getting sick.”

  
  
  


* * *

The drive to Sana’s house took less than 30 minutes. By the time they arrived, it was almost half-past eleven. Dahyun didn’t realize how late it was and how long they’d been out. Admittedly, she was quite worried about going home at this hour. 

“Do you want to come inside and freshen up?” Sana asked, “I’d hate to send you home while your clothes are still soaking wet.”

“That would actually be much appreciated.”

Dahyun left her car parked on the driveway and followed Sana inside her house. Sana instructed her to keep quiet because her parents were already asleep and brought Dahyun to her room.

“You can take a shower in my bathroom. I’ll use the guest one. Are T-shirts and sweats okay?”

“Huh? Oh yeah, that’s totally fine.” 

“Here you go.” Sana passed her a pair of joggers, a t-shirt, and a fresh towel. “I usually take long showers, so if you come out first-- um-- feel free to just wait for me here in my room.”

Dahyun also typically took long baths, but only in her own home. She decided that a quick rinse would do the trick, so long as she was properly clean. 

After she had finished showering, Dahyun dried herself and put on the clothes Sana lent her. She noted the smell of sweet honey and lavender wafting in the room. Was this always what Sana smelled like? She’d never noticed before. But thinking back, it made total sense to Dahyun. 

Sana seemed like the type of person who would smell like sweet honey and lavender. Moving forward, whenever she would encounter this scent, it would always remind her of Sana.

Speaking of Sana, the girl, as she said she would, was still in the shower by the time Dahyun got out. Dahyun did what any curious human being would and started admiring Sana’s room. It was extremely clean and organized, with a simple minimalist look. She only really had a few photos on the wall by her desk. Dahyun walked over to see who was in them.

There was a photo of Sana with Momo and Nayeon. That wasn’t surprising. A few photos with her family-- Dahyun’s favorite was probably the photo of a young Sana with an older woman who Dahyun assumed was Sana’s grandmother. It was very adorable. 

But the one photo that really caught Dahyun’s attention was the one with Jeongyeon, Jihyo, Nayeon, Sana, and a familiar face. A face Dahyun couldn’t quite forget even after all those years. For some reason, Sana was in a photo with the girl Dahyun had the biggest crush on in grade school, Myoui Mina. 

Dahyun didn’t even know Mina went to Crown College. She could have sworn the girl left the country, but maybe not. Seeing Mina brought a smile to Dahyun’s face. She didn’t change much-- still just as pretty.

But then Dahyun began to wonder why she hadn’t seen Mina hanging around Sana or any of the other girls. Strange, she thought. 

“Like what you see?” Sana asked, popping up right behind Dahyun, taking her by surprise. 

“Sana! You almost gave me a heart attack.” Dahyun took a deep breath in as she rubbed the back of her neck. “Sorry if I was intruding. I was just curious about the photos you have on here.”

“It’s fine. I put them out so that they could be looked at, but I haven’t had people over in a long time.”

“This one’s really cute,” Dahyun said, pointing at the photo of Sana with her grandma. “I wonder what happened?” she teased, insinuating that Sana had become a lot less cute. 

“Excuse me! I’m still cute. What do you mean? Can you not see all of this?” Sana struck a pose.

Dahyun almost fell over laughing at Sana, which made the older girl slap her on her arm.

“Okay, okay, you’re still very cute, Sana. Are you happy now?” Dahyun smiled as she locked eyes with Sana.

Those eyes pulled her in like gravity, but before she could get too close, Dahyun stopped herself. 

It was time to go. 

“Gosh, it’s really late, huh? I should really get going,” Dahyun mumbled, “I wouldn’t want to die at the hands of my father.”

“Right, yeah,” Sana laughed softly, “You better get going. Here, let me walk you out.”

With a plastic bag full of her wet clothes in hand, Dahyun followed Sana out onto the driveway.

“Let’s continue discussing our plans for the fundraiser before the ExCo meeting on Thursday,” Dahyun suggested.

“Sure thing.”

“Good night, Sana.”

“Good night, Dahyun. Thank you… for tonight.” 

Sana opened the car door for Dahyun to slide in. But before she closed it, she placed a quick kiss on Dahyun’s cheek, catching Dahyun off guard. 

“See you on Thursday,” Sana said as she ran back towards her front door. She turned to wait for Dahyun to leave.

Dahyun waved goodbye to Sana and drove off. She was glad it was dark inside her car because she knew her cheeks were flushed a bright red. She wondered what it all meant.

  
  
  


* * *

Dahyun reached home at exactly 12:29 AM. She hoped her father had already gone to bed, but as it turned out, he had been waiting for her to arrive. It shouldn’t have come as a surprise to Dahyun. He was upset.

“Do you know what time it is, young lady?” he asked sternly

Dahyun knew better than to answer. 

“You said you were studying with Tzuyu, but I saw her at the restaurant tonight. Where were you? And whose clothes are those?”

“I-- I had an urgent meeting with someone from my internship. That’s why I canceled on Tzuyu.” Dahyun lied, hoping her father would buy it. “I accidentally spilled coffee on myself, so my friend offered me a change of clothes at her place since it was closer to the cafe we were studying at.”

“Next time you go out, you better tell me exactly where you are going and who you’re with. Don’t make me activate your location tracker again,” he warned.

Throughout high school, Dahyun remembered being tracked by her father on the regular. When she started college, they made a deal to stop using the location tracker, but only if she told him where she would be going. 

“Yes, sir. I’m sorry. It won’t happen again.” 

Dahyun was about to leave for her room, but her father stopped her. 

"This internship of yours better not get in the way of your studies, you understand?"

"Yes, sir."

Satisfied with her response, he let her go. "Alright, go on. Go to bed."

"Good night, Dad."

"Good night, Dahyun." 

Dahyun let out a sigh when she got into her room. Dealing with her father had always given her a lot of anxiety but even more, as she got older. 

The smile she had on her face the whole drive home vanished just like that. But it was brought back when she checked her phone.

Sana had sent her a text not too long ago. 

_SN: I hope you've reached home safe! Good night, Dahyun. Maybe you're not the worst after all. (:_

_DH: Good night, Sana. You're not so bad yourself. (:_

It was quite funny how a simple text from the right person could change her mood. Sana’s message instantly made Dahyun feel better. 

And it was no surprise to Dahyun.

She had a feeling things with Sana wouldn't be the same again.

  
  
  


* * *

Dahyun and Sana had scheduled their fundraiser for the following week's Friday. After a few more meetings with each other and ExCo, it was no surprise to them that their event was successful. They had a well-thought-out plan coming in and the team executed it perfectly.

For the first time ever, YES hosted an auction night; and because of their connections, Sana and Dahyun were able to get plenty of sponsors to donate items and experiences for free. Together, they were able to raise $3000; half of which would go to charity, and the other half to fund YES's future events so that it could remain free for all its members.

After the fundraiser, ExCo decided to go out and celebrate by eating a late dinner at a nearby restaurant. Nayeon suggested that they split a huge soju tower "for funsies". Jihyo and Sana agreed to drink, and Jeongyeon and Dahyun volunteered to be designated drivers.

A soju tower was typically meant to be split between (at the very least) five to six people. Well, if the people drinking just wanted to stop at the right amount of tipsy. Evidently, after finishing the whole tower by themselves, Nayeon, Jihyo, and Sana were very much drunk.

Jihyo tried to drink from an empty cup, and when she found out there wasn't in fact anything inside, she almost threw the glass. Luckily Jeongyeon grabbed her hand before she could.

"Alright, that's enough for tonight. I'm taking this one home," Jeongyeon said, as she pulled Jihyo up. She turned to Dahyun. "Do you think you can handle those two?"

Dahyun watched as Sana was slumped over Nayeon, mumbling incoherent words. At least they weren't combatant. "I think I'm okay. You go ahead." 

"Take care, Dahyun. Those two can be a handful." 

"Thanks! Drive safe." Dahyun waved goodbye and turned her attention to the two girls she had to bring home.

As soon as she was within arm's reach, Nayeon wrapped Dahyun in a tight embrace, a little too close for comfort for the younger. "Hey, cutie. Are you doing anything fun tonight?"

Dahyun shook her head "Nope, I just have to get you and Sana home." 

"That's no fun," Nayeon protested. "Want to spend the night at my place?"

"She’s not interested!" Sana cut in, grabbing Dahyun from the other side, almost causing them to fall over.

Dahyun struggled to carry both Sana and Nayeon’s combined weight, but she eventually found her footing. She slowly walked them all over to her car which was thankfully parked right by the door. Dahyun decided to put Sana in the front seat, much to Nayeon’s dismay. Seeing how touchy Nayeon had been, it made sense to have her sit in the back. Dahyun didn't want to get into an accident because of the older girl. 

"Why am I in the back?" Nayeon whined. 

"Safety,” Dahyun explained, as she made sure to buckle the seatbelt up for Nayeon. “Plus, I'm dropping you off first." 

The drive to Nayeon’s house took less than 15 minutes. Dahyun wondered how it was possible that she lived so close to campus and yet was always late for a lot of things.

"My offer still stands, Dahyun," Nayeon said as Dahyun helped her out of the car. 

"Thanks, Nayeon, but I gotta get Sana home too." 

Slowly but surely, they made it to the front door in one piece. It was difficult to keep Nayeon upright, but Dahyun was able to do it. Without any warning, Nayeon pulled Dahyun's chin up and placed a quick kiss on her lip. "Has anyone told you that your lips are soft?" she said after she’d pulled away.

Dahyun froze for a second. "I-- uh--" 

"You're cute, so you better take care of Sana, okay? Because I won't hesitate to come to your house and hunt you down, if you hurt her." Nayeon flashed her a bunny smile.

"You got it, boss!" 

Dahyun waited for someone to open the door and take Nayeon inside before returning back to the car. She was met with dead silence when she entered and Sana’s face was contorted somewhere in between a frown and a pout.

“Are you okay, Sana? What’s going on?”

“You kissed her…” 

“Technically… she kissed me. It didn’t mean anything-- she was just messing around.”

Sana turned away from Dahyun and stared out the window. “Just say you like her and go,” the older girl grumbled.

“I don’t like her though. I promise.” Dahyun reached over to hold Sana’s hand. She found the jealous drunk Sana oddly adorable. 

“You promise?” Sana asked with a pout. 

Dahyun couldn’t help but smile. “Yeah, cross my heart.”

“Okay. Good.” Sana readjusted herself such that she faced the road ahead. 

“Shall we take you home now?”

“Not yet. Let’s go to the beach. It’s still early.”

It was almost 10 PM. 

Dahyun supposed that to some people, that would be early. But her typical curfew was 11 PM, so 10 seemed quite late. Tonight, however, Dahyun informed her father that she would be home late. And perhaps he was feeling generous, so he allowed her to stay out past her regular curfew. 

“You really love the beach, don’t you?”

“At night, it becomes my own little place.”

“The beach it is.”

Perhaps Dahyun should have thought a little longer before agreeing to bring an inebriated person to the beach. Even more so since it was dark out, and the lamp posts barely lit up enough of the sand to see where one should walk. A fully-sober person who was aptly coordinated, such as herself, still struggled. It was no surprise that Sana took a few tumbles. But she kept on getting up. 

At one point, though, Sana started running away from Dahyun. 

"Come on, slowpoke! Catch me if you can!" Sana yelled.

They ran a good distance away from the boardwalk, away from any crowds. Sana wasn't showing any signs of slowing down. But then she stopped abruptly and turned to face Dahyun. With a cheeky grin plastered on her face, she spread her arms out and leaned backward until the weight of her body took over and pulled her down to the sand.

"Sana!" Dahyun called out, finally catching up. She stood somewhere close to hover over Sana’s body.

The older girl started laughing hysterically. But the laughter soon turned into silent tears.

“Hey, hey, what’s going on?” Dahyun knelt down beside Sana.

“I don’t want to go home tonight, Dahyun,” she whispered. 

“Why not?”

“I just don’t want to be there.” Sana sat up, wiping away the sand that stuck to her. “Can I stay with you tonight?”

“Sana, what’s going on? You can tell me.”

Sana shook her head. It was clear she didn’t want to talk about it. “Please…”

All Dahyun could do was be there for Sana. And if Sana didn’t want to talk, Dahyun wasn’t going to force her to do so. But that didn’t stop Dahyun from worrying.

“Okay, you can stay with me…” Dahyun wished it could be simple. But there was still her father and his rules. “But-- um-- we have to be careful. My father can’t find out about this.”

“Okay… you won’t even know I’m there.” Sana sat up and wiped her tears away. 

Dahyun wondered if these were still the effects of alcohol or if something else was going on. Whatever the case, she just wanted to see Sana smiling again.

  
  
  


* * *

Dahyun’s place was a little farther from the beach compared to Sana’s, so the drive took a while. In that time, it seemed as though Sana calmed down quite a bit and perhaps even sobered up. Dahyun allowed Sana to control the music, hoping that it would help her feel better. And maybe it worked, because at some point, Sana started singing along. Her voice was sweet.

Leaving Dubu parked in the garage, Dahyun and Sana tiptoed their way to Dahyun’s room, successfully evading detection from her father. 

"Welcome to my room," Dahyun said as she closed the door behind her. "The bathroom is over there. You can go shower first. The towels, a hairdryer, and new toothbrushes are all in the cubbies. Feel free to use them as necessary." 

"Thanks, Dahyun." Sana smiled at her softly.

"You can go into my closet to see what you want to wear too. Oh and I'll just wait to shower until you finish. I can't really risk using the guest bathroom tonight."

"Okay, I'll be quick."

"Don’t worry about it. Take as long as you need."

As soon as Sana disappeared, Dahyun started to tidy up her room. She cleared her desk of all the clutter and picked up any random items she found on the floor. She even moved some furniture around. Admittedly, her room wasn’t as clean as Sana’s, but it wasn't bad. Dahyun just didn't want to leave a bad impression. 

Eventually, Sana finished taking her shower and came out of the bathroom, hair already dried. She wore one of Dahyun’s favorite baggy t-shirts and some shorts.

“You look comfortable." Dahyun beamed at the girl, hoping she hadn't been staring too long. "You can sleep on my bed if you’re already tired. I can just sleep on the floor later,” Dahyun offered.

“It’s a full-size bed, Dahyun. I’m sure we can both fit. Don’t worry, I promise I don’t bite,” Sana replied playfully.

Dahyun let out a nervous laugh. It wasn’t like she’d never shared a bed with another person before. She’d had tons of sleepovers with Tzuyu and Chaeyoung in the past. But Sana was different. And moreover, how she felt when she was around Sana was different. 

Dahyun wasn’t a fool. She knew exactly what she was feeling for Sana. It was quite terrifying. Not because she still despised Sana, because she definitely didn't. She was terrified because she didn't know how Sana felt about her. 

“I’ll be right back,” Dahyun said, retreating swiftly to the bathroom.

She spent a long time under the water, contemplating her developing feelings. Part of her hoped that when she came out, Sana would already be asleep so that she wouldn't have to deal with it. 

However, when Dahyun did eventually exit, she found Sana on her bed, playing around with her phone. Not quite asleep as she'd hoped.

"Are you ready to go to bed?" Dahyun asked, swallowing her nerves. "Should I turn off the lights?"

Sana looked her way and nodded.

It was suddenly pitch black in her room and Dahyun forgot that she had moved around a bit of furniture when Sana was still in the shower. Consequently, Dahyun's shin collided with a little box seat that Dahyun used as a footrest. She ended up on the floor soon after, but thankfully the thud was cushioned by the carpet. 

A bright light then hit her eyes as she heard soft giggles filling the room. Sana was using her phone's flashlight to check on Dahyun. 

"Hey! It's not funny." Dahyun pouted, as she pushed herself upwards and adjusted her glasses. 

"It's kinda funny." 

"Hmph!"

Sana used the light to guide a crawling Dahyun to bed. "You know, you're actually quite cute with your glasses on."

"Are you still tipsy?" Dahyun hopped on and placed her glasses on the nightstand.

"I don't need to be drunk to know when I see a pretty girl," Sana said right before she put her phone away, taking the light with it.

Dahyun feigned a scowl. "Wow, how many other girls have you used that one on?"

"Just you." Sana tapped her cheeks. 

Dahyun prevented her from doing it again by holding onto her wrist. "You're so weird, Miss Minatozaki."

"But you still like me though."

"Hah! In your dreams." Even though she couldn't see well, Dahyun knew Sana was smirking. 

"I guess I must be dreaming."

"Pfft…" Unable to think of a witty comeback quick enough, Dahyun surrendered. "Okay, I've got nothing. You win."

"Yes! That's what's up. What's my prize?"

"Nothing."

"Aww come on… not even... a kiss perchance?"

"If I kiss you will you stop messing around?"

"Sure."

Dahyun placed her hand by the crook of Sana's neck and pulled her in, not really knowing if their lips would meet. 

Warmth. She felt warmth for a quick second. 

Realizing what had happened, Dahyun turned away from Sana, placing a hand over her mouth. She could feel her cheeks heating up. They had kissed. Though only briefly, it still left both of them stunned.

After a few more seconds of silence, Dahyun took a deep breath in as she prepared to apologize. Mid-turn, however, she found herself being pulled in by two hands finding purchase on the back of her neck.

There it was again. The familiar warmth of Sana's soft lips against hers. A feeling she would soon find herself craving more and more of, only to be taken away in a matter of seconds.

It was Sana who pulled away this time, leaving Dahyun hanging.

"Whoa…" Dahyun whispered, "What was that?"

"I don't know… I just wanted to kiss you," Sana replied, a little out of breath. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't--"

"No, it's okay. I wanted to kiss you too." 

Dahyun’s eyes had acclimated to the darkness. She was able to find Sana's hand and hold it. 

"You did?"

"Yeah… I did."

"What does this mean?" Sana asked quietly.

"I don't know." Dahyun shrugged. "Maybe it doesn't have to mean anything yet. We can decide later."

"Okay, I like that plan," Sana said, taking a shaky breath in. "Dahyun?"

"Hmm?" Dahyun felt Sana's thumb grazed over her knuckles. 

"May I kiss you again?"

Dahyun didn't feel the need to say yes. Instead, she just pulled Sana in gently for another kiss, not rushing, knowing full well that it would be reciprocated. It was funny, really. She didn't have a single drop of alcohol that night. Yet there she was, feeling tipsy, drunk on Sana and her kiss.

Dahyun eventually lost track of how many times they'd kissed each other that night.

  
  
  


* * *

When Dahyun woke up the next day, she found herself lying close to Sana’s heart with the older girl's arms wrapped around her body. She remembered most of the night and hoped that Sana did too. If not, this would have been a very awkward position to find themselves in.

Sana did, however, have a track record of forgetting things when drunk. It wasn't fun getting splashed with water in the face; but thinking back, Dahyun had probably deserved it to some extent. How quickly things have changed between her and Sana surprised her more than anything. And it was a pleasant surprise, she decided.

But again, the only thing she really knew for sure was her own feelings. What if it was just one of those drunken nights for Sana? What if all of it meant nothing to the older girl?

Dahyun, letting her mind get the better of her, thought it best to pull away and pretend nothing happened. However, the arms that were once limply wrapped around her body tightened their grip, refusing to let her go.

"Where do you think you're going?" Sana whispered, eyes still closed. 

Dahyun was surprised. "Sana, you're awake…" 

"Barely."

"Do you… uh… remember last night?"

Sana raised her brow. "What do you mean?"

"Do you remember what happened between us?"

Sana started to laugh. She leaned forward and placed a kiss on Dahyun’s forehead. 

"Yes, I remember kissing you." Sana caressed Dahyun’s cheek before placing another kiss on the same spot. "All night long."

Dahyun’s heart swelled with inexplicable happiness. Sana sat them both upwards and released Dahyun from her hold. She made her way off the bed and to the bathroom, but not before stealing another kiss from Dahyun-- this time on her lips.

At this point, Dahyun was convinced that Sana would be the end of her. 

When Sana disappeared from view, Dahyun checked her phone to see the time: almost 9:30 AM. Not too bad. She could probably sneak Sana out without being detected if she was careful enough. 

Dahyun was in the middle of browsing through her socials when she heard a knock on the door. She quickly hopped off the bed to answer it and hoped that Sana wouldn't suddenly come out of the bathroom.

Mrs. Han, their housekeeper, was on the other side.

"Good morning, Dahyun, it's time for breakfast. Your parents are waiting for you." 

"Hi Mrs. Han, could you tell them I'm not hungry? I'm leaving soon after I take a shower."

"Sorry, kid. Your dad told me to tell you it's not optional," Mrs. Han rubbed her shoulders. "You best get down there. He wants you to bring your friend too." 

Dahyun’s jaw slacked. She realized her mistake. She had completely forgotten about the new security camera they had installed in the garage. Her father must have seen the footage of her coming in with Sana. 

"Okay, we'll be right down," Dahyun sighed.

Mrs. Han left and Dahyun plopped back onto her bed face first. She started thinking of possible excuses to tell her father. This was not going to end well.

"Are you okay?" she heard Sana ask. 

Dahyun turned to face her, trying her best to look optimistic. "Are you hungry?"

"Uh… not really. Why?"

Dahyun sat up and held both of Sana’s hands in hers. "My dad wants us to have breakfast with him and my mom."

"Wait, what? How does he know I'm here?" Sana asked, panic evident. 

"I forgot about the new camera we have in the garage. He must have checked the footage this morning." Dahyun hit her head with her palm repeatedly.

"So I'm meeting your parents?"

"Yep."

Sana took a deep breath in and sat on the foot of Dahyun’s bed. "Well, I wasn't prepared. Uh… do you think maybe I can borrow something more presentable?" 

"Yeah, go ahead. I'll go wash up and get ready real quick, and then we can go down together."

  
  
  
  


* * *

Dahyun led the way to their dining room, holding onto Sana's hands tightly. The whole situation made her nervous. She had never brought anyone home without asking her father for permission. And even though it was only really Tzuyu and Chaeyoung that stayed the night, her father knew them beforehand. 

He had never met Sana. Dahyun had never even mentioned her name before. She was always referred to as Dahyun's "friend from the internship". Her father’s trust wasn't something given out freely. It had to be earned. Dahyun couldn't just bring anyone she wanted over to the house. 

And to make matters worse, Sana wasn't just anyone to Dahyun-- she was special.

Dahyun wanted to be at the level of cautious optimism, but she could only really hope that her father would not make a scene.

As they approached the dining room, Dahyun released Sana’s hand and walked in front of her, hoping to shield the girl from her parents.

"Dahyun, good morning," her father said, tone unreadable. "I'm glad you and your friend finally decided to join us."

"Good morning--" 

"Good morning, sir, ma’am," Sana stepped out from behind her and greeted both of Dahyun’s parents with a bow. “My name is Sana. Minatozaki Sana."

Dahyun's father tilted his head to the side and raised his brow. "Minatozaki… hmm… I see…" He nodded his head subtly. "Well, welcome to our home, Miss Minatozaki."

Dahyun attempted to speak, “Dad, I can--”

But her father wouldn’t let her. He held a hand up to silence her. 

"I trust our daughter has been a decent host." He looked at Dahyun briefly, before turning his attention to Sana. "If she had told us you were coming, we could have prepared the guest room. Shame."

Dahyun flinched. She averted her gaze to the floor.

"She was nothing short of wonderful, sir," Sana defended, still keeping her tone polite. "And it was my fault, if anything. I spontaneously asked her if I could spend the night after we… um… had dinner. I was very comfortable in Dahyun's room regardless."

"Well, I suppose that's good to hear," Dahyun's mom added, finally getting a word in.

"Come, have a seat," her father instructed. "Mrs. Han has prepared a lovely spread this morning."

"Thank you, sir." Sana smiled and took the seat across from Dahyun’s father.

Breakfast was quiet as usual. Dahyun didn't expect much conversation from her father. He eventually finished his plate and excused himself. Once he'd left it felt like everyone was able to breathe more.

"So… what are you two planning to do today?" Dahyun’s mother asked. 

"Oh-- uh-- I was just going to drive Sana home and then catch up on some homework," Dahyun said, "We don't have any plans together," she clarified.

"I'll leave you to it then."

Once Dahyun and Sana were alone, Sana took a deep breath in and out. She made sure to check her surroundings before leaning her head on Dahyun’s shoulder. 

“Well that was intense,” Sana giggled.

“Sorry, I didn’t think--”

“It’s okay.” Sana kissed Dahyun’s cheek. “I understand.” 

Dahyun sighed. “Thanks.”

“Do you think they liked me?”

“I don’t see why not.” Dahyun shrugged. 

Her father was unreadable. Sure, he was displeased with her actions, but it wasn’t clear what he thought about Sana. He didn’t have many questions, which could possibly be because he knew who she was. Well, he knew Sana’s father at the very least -- but as a business competitor. 

Dahyun hoped that that wouldn’t complicate things between her and Sana. 

At least Sana was optimistic. “I hope they liked me. I want them to like me.”

“Oh? Are you planning something, Miss Minatozaki?”

“Maybe I am. But only if you want to.”

“I’ll think about it,” Dahyun teased, winking at Sana. “Come on, let’s get you home.”

  
  
  


* * *

The drive to Sana’s house was quiet, but comfortable. It seemed they both took the time to come to terms with how things were different in a way. Still, nothing had yet to be decided. And that was fine with Dahyun. She just enjoyed being around Sana. 

Dahyun pulled up to Sana’s driveway as she’d done before.

“So what are you really doing after this?” Sana asked.

“Homework.”

“I thought you were lying.”

“No, I’m still me. I want to get those A’s.”

“Well, good luck with that.”

“Oh I don’t need luck for that. Dealing with my father, however, I’ll take all the luck I can get. I’m pretty sure I’m never going to hear the end of it.”

“If he talks about me, will you tell me what he says?”

“Sure. But it really shouldn’t matter what he thinks, right? How I feel about you is far more important.”

“Right.” Sana was beaming with happiness. She kissed Dahyun again before exiting her car. “Bye, Dahyun. See you on Tuesday.” 

Dahyun took her time driving back home. She didn't want to face her father, but she knew it was inevitable. As soon as she'd parked her car in the garage, she received a text telling her to head straight to her father’s office.

She practically ran up, knowing her father wasn't a very patient man, and that he was likely already upset. 

He didn't bother to greet her and just went straight to the point. "The Minatozaki girl, who is she to you?"

Dahyun gulped. She didn't like the sound of that. The way he said her last name-- it was filled with repugnance. Dahyun knew the only way out was to lie.

"She's just a friend, Dad. Sana and I are in YES together."

"I don't want you hanging out with her anymore outside of your internship," he commanded, "And I definitely don't want you bringing her to our house. Her kind is not the type we want around."

"Her kind?" Dahyun furrowed her brows.

"It's strictly business," her father dismissed, "Her family is not one I want you associating with. Am I making myself clear?"

It wasn't like she could disagree. "Yes…" Dahyun muttered, lowering her head. 

"Look at me!" her father bellowed, slamming his hand on his desk. "I don't want you getting involved with her anymore, you understand? She's not good for your future!"

"Yes, sir." Dahyun cowered backward. "It won't happen again."

"Good. Now, go do your work."

Dahyun was shaken up. It had been a long time since she'd seen her father that upset. But why? What did he have against Sana and her family? 

Sana was sweet, smart, and so caring. Dahyun didn't always know it. But she knew better now. Sana wasn't the person people made her out to be. Dahyun wished her father could understand that. 

Just then, her phone vibrated in her pocket. Dahyun pulled it out to find an eager text from Sana.

_SN: Are you home safe? Did your parents say anything about me? >.< _

Dahyun contemplated whether or not to tell Sana the truth. She didn't want to discourage the girl. Part of Dahyun wanted to believe that her father could change his opinion. So maybe that was why she lied to Sana.

_DH: He didn't really say anything about you. I guess that's a good thing. (:_

But deep down she knew her father was stubborn and change wasn't something he was good at. 

  
  
  


* * *

Against her father’s wishes, Dahyun continued to meet up with Sana. To add to her growing list of lies, she also didn't tell Sana the truth about what her father had said. It was difficult to keep up with it all, but Dahyun figured it out. Dahyun simply lied about where she was to her father, and never stayed out too late with Sana. Things had been going smoothly for almost a month.

In that month, her relationship with Sana blossomed, though the label still remained unspecified. To most people, they were just friends. Still, it was clear to Dahyun that her feelings for Sana only grew more intense the more time she spent with Sana. She wondered if Sana felt that way too.

It was a Friday afternoon and Sana invited Dahyun over to her place. They were in Sana’s room studying for their Microecon midterm because Dahyun insisted that she wouldn’t have fun until they put in some hours for review.

An hour or so into their study session, Sana got up off her bed and walked over to Dahyun who was diligently preparing flashcards on Sana’s desk. 

“My parents are gone for the weekend,” Sana hummed as she wrapped her arms around Dahyun and her chair. “They’re on a business trip.”

“Oh? That’s cool,” Dahyun said, trying her best to stay focused. “Where are they going?”

“Hawaii, I think. But it doesn’t matter where they’re going… With them being gone and all, I’ll have the house to myself.” Sana started to run her fingers through Dahyun’s hair. 

It made Dahyun nervous. “Are you throwing a party or something?” she feigned ignorance.

Sana turned her chair around and looked Dahyun in the eyes. “No, silly. I want you to stay with me tonight. We can just stay in. You’re always coming over, but you never spend the night.”

Dahyun was afraid Sana would ask that. “Oh… Sana--”

“If you ask your dad now, maybe he’ll say yes! Just tell him you’re studying with me for the midterm next week.” 

“I don’t know, Sana. It’s a little late to ask.”

All it took was Sana’s pout to convince Dahyun. “Come on… pretty please…”

“Okay, okay. I’ll give him a call.”

“Yes!” Sana threw a fist in the air.

“Excuse me for a second.” Dahyun got up and left the room. She made sure to walk far enough such that Sana wouldn’t be able to catch on.

Dahyun wasn’t stupid. She wasn’t going to mention Sana at all or staying over anywhere. Instead, she would just tell her father that she was with Tzuyu studying until late, not come home, and then ask for forgiveness in the morning when she returned.

Not wanting to psych herself out, Dahyun decided to just place her phone on “Do-Not-Disturb”. She now needed to produce believable notes and she also wanted to enjoy her time with Sana.

“So how did it go?” Sana asked, practically bouncing up and down.

“Great!” Dahyun lied, “I’m staying.”

  
  
  


* * *

Sana diligently prepared dinner for the two of them as Dahyun continued to study on the dining table. Apparently, Sana wanted to make something special for Dahyun so she made her favorite dish, Tonkatsu and rice. Dahyun appreciated any homemade meal, but seeing Sana work so hard in the kitchen was adorable. She almost wanted to go over and disturb the girl, but she had notes to finish.

Once Sana was done, Dahyun helped set the table. It looked absolutely delicious. And it tasted just as good as it looked. It didn’t take Dahyun long to finish the whole plate. 

“Sana, that was amazing!” she gushed, “I didn’t even know you could cook!”

Sana smiled proudly. “Momo isn’t the only one who can make decent food. Though it’s not really me since I just followed my mother’s recipe.”

“Trust me, it takes great skill to follow a recipe and produce a great meal.” Dahyun reached over the table and held Sana’s hand. “You have to give yourself more credit.”

“Thanks, Dahyun.”

“So… what do we do next?”

Sana thought about it for a second. “The beach?”

“Hey, you said we were staying in!” Dahyun protested. She wasn’t in the mood for sand. 

“Okay, fine. How about we go out to the backyard?”

“All this time I’ve been over at your house and you’ve never taken me.”

“You never asked! We have a pool.”

Dahyun furrowed her brows. “If you’re planning to swim, we should digest our food for at least 30 minutes before going in.”

“Nerd," Sana teased. 

“Hey, safety is cool!”

“Come on, we can just sit by the side for now.” Sana held a hand out for Dahyun.

“Okay, that I can do.”

Dahyun allowed Sana to lead her to the back of the house. 

It was beautiful out there. Living on top of a hill that overlooked the ocean sure had its perks. And with barely any neighbors around, there was little to no light pollution, so they were able to see the stars clearly.

The pair sat on the edge of the deep end of the pool, dipping their legs into the water. From where they sat they had a great view of the coastline and the night sky.

“You know it’s typically foggy at night, so I hardly ever see stars when I go out here,” Sana said, “They must have known you were coming.”

“Smooth, Minatozaki. Real smooth.” Dahyun glared at Sana.

“I wasn’t trying anything! I swear,” Sana raised both her hands, pleading innocence. “I just think it’s really cool that you’re here with me to see this. And look, there’s also a full moon out.” She pointed to the sky and sighed. “Isn’t it beautiful?”

Keeping her gaze on Sana, Dahyun replied, “It is beautiful.” 

Sana noticed and cupped Dahyun’s cheeks, turning her head for her. “The moon, Dahyun, is up there. Not on my face.”

Dahyun held Sana’s wrists and freed herself. She made sure to look right at Sana when she spoke, “Right, but I can see the whole world from here.” Dahyun flashed Sana a cheeky grin, satisfied with herself.

“Okay, see… you're the one who's up to something!" Sana closed her eyes and took a sharp breath in, evidently flustered. "You know if it weren’t for safety, you would be in the pool right now,” Sana continued, “But I can still do this!”

The older girl then sent a torrent of water her way. 

“Sana!” Dahyun yelled, covering herself as best she could. Eventually, Dahyun gave up and started sending water back. 

At some point, they both ended up in the pool anyway, screaming as they fell in. The splashing stopped as they both tried to regain their bearings. Dahyun didn't recall how they ended up only inches apart from each other, but she leaned in hoping that Sana would follow suit. Right before their lips could meet, Dahyun got her revenge, splashing Sana right in the face with a huge wave of water.

Dahyun laughed and started swimming towards the shallow end, not giving Sana the chance to retaliate.

Sana gave chase and swam after her. "You’re the worst! Oh my gosh, I'm gonna get you for that!" she called out.

An out-of-breath Dahyun reached the part of the pool that was shallow enough for her to sit in without her head dipping beneath the waterline. But Sana caught up to her in no time at all and tackled her, submerging both of them underwater. 

Sana then found Dahyun’s lips and kissed her slowly. They both surfaced not long after, needing to catch a breath. 

In…

And out…

Eyes locked and fingers intertwined, they took breaths together. Steady, calming breaths, slowing down and living every moment second by second. There was only a small gap between them. Dahyun waited for Sana to give her permission before closing it with another kiss. 

Under the moonlight, in knee-deep water, Dahyun held on tight to Sana. She'd never felt more at peace.

  
  
  


* * *

As it was getting late and the winds started to pick up, Sana decided that it was time for them to go back into the house. After a quick shower, Sana lent Dahyun her favorite T-shirt and some shorts so that the younger could be comfortable. Sana loved how her clothes looked on Dahyun.

“Did I miss a spot? Do I have something on my face?” Dahyun asked as she patted her face down with a towel.

Sana shook her head, took both of Dahyun’s hands in hers, and then pulled them back into her room. When she felt her calf hit the side of her bed, she took it as a signal to lie down, making Dahyun fall on top of her. But she quickly rolled them over so that she was straddling Dahyun’s lap.

Her heart was beating fast, but she wanted things to slow down. Sana bent down and placed a chaste kiss on Dahyun’s forehead and then proceeded to plop over to the empty space beside the younger.

Dahyun then reached over for Sana’s hand. She laced their fingers together and brought them up to her lips so that she could kiss Sana’s knuckles.

They settled in the silence for a while. 

“Thanks for spending the night with me, Dahyun,” Sana said, propping herself up on her elbows as she readjusted to a more comfortable position. 

Dahyun flashed her a tight-lipped smile. “Of course. I wouldn't want you to be alone in this big old house. Plus, I really love spending time with you, Sana. I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else.”

“You know, for the first time in a really long time… I think I feel genuinely happy,” Sana confessed, hugging herself. “Not just about life-- because I'm usually okay with that-- but with myself, I mean. I’m happy with myself.” 

“Really? I’m glad.”

“It's because of you, Dahyun. You make me feel like I'm enough.”

“You're more than enough, Sana. You don’t need me to know that.” Dahyun again reached out for her hand and held it gently. “And if other people can't see how great you are, then screw 'em. Their opinion isn’t worth your time.”

“Right…” Sana sighed, letting her head fall onto her pillow. 

Dahyun laid her head on the adjacent pillow maintaining eye-contact with Sana. 

There were many things she wanted to say to Dahyun, but just couldn’t find the right words or courage for.

“Dahyun, I…”

Sana wanted to tell Dahyun how happy Dahyun made her; and that even when she felt like things weren’t going her way, being with Dahyun just made it better. Sana wanted to tell Dahyun that she was the best “worst thing” that had ever come into her life. Sana wanted to tell Dahyun that she was falling madly in love with her.

Sana had wanted to say all of those things and more, but she couldn’t.

So instead, she kissed Dahyun and hoped that that would be enough. 

  
  
  


* * *

In the morning, after she’d gotten ready, Dahyun began collecting her notes which had been scattered all around Sana’s house. She couldn’t stay too long, knowing that her father would already be upset that she didn’t come home the night before. 

“Maybe you can come back again tonight?” Sana asked, passing Dahyun the final stack of flashcards that were on her dining room table. “It’s a Saturday and my parents are still gone.”

"Sounds like a plan." Dahyun didn’t know how she was going to pull it off, she just knew that she wanted to be with Sana. She would deal with her father when she had to. 

Dahyun drove home with her heart full, but the moment she parked her car in the garage, she began to feel anxious. She'd never pulled a stunt like that before and she honestly wasn't sure how her father would take it. 

She walked through the door, deciding it would be best to look for her father and just apologize straight away. 

She should have known something was amiss when she couldn't find him in the living room nor his office. Dahyun began to think he'd not been home, but that couldn't be. All of his cars were in the garage and it was a Saturday. 

Dahyun climbed up the stairs and went straight to her room. What she didn't expect to see was her father sitting by her desk.

"Dad, what are you doing here?" she asked meekly.

He didn't even bother turning around. "You deliberately disobeyed me." 

"What?" 

"Where were you last night?" he began to raise his voice. 

"I was at Tzuyu’s…" Dahyun replied, trying her best to sound confident.

"Don't lie to me!" He finally turned around to look her in the eyes. "I told you to come home immediately and you ignored my messages!"

Dahyun looked at her phone and found that she'd forgotten to take it off "Do-Not-Disturb". All the notifications from her father came at once. There were at least 13 missed calls and some 10 messages. Dahyun was horrified, but she couldn't let it show. 

"You were with that Minatozaki girl, weren't you? Tell me, Dahyun, how many times have you lied to me this past month?"

"I-- uh-- I can explain. I was with Tzuyu and Chaeyoung studying last night. I put my phone on "Do-Not-Disturb" so I could focus--"

"Your location said otherwise," he interjected.

"You tracked my location?"

He looked at her with disappointment. "You lied to me, Dahyun. I warned you not to interact with the Minatozaki girl." He walked over to her desk again and grabbed a thick stack of paper. "Here," he said, passing it to her.

It was a business contract.

"What's this?" she asked. 

"That is a bailout. Right now, I am the biggest investor in Minatozaki's last-ditch effort to save a business that he ran to the ground." 

Dahyun was stunned to hear that. She didn't know they were struggling. Sana had never mentioned anything.

"If I terminate the contract with them, all the other investors will pull out too. Investors are going to drop like flies. And that will be the end of the road for Minatozaki and his company."

"Why are you telling me this?"

Her father laughed mirthlessly. "Let me put it simply: If you do not end things with the Minatozaki girl, I will terminate this contract."

"Why are you doing this?"

"It's for your own good!” he insisted, “I have your future in mind. And speaking of your future, I've set you up with a meeting tonight. Someone more suitable for you."

"Doesn't it matter who I love?"

"Love?” he scoffed, disgusted that Dahyun would even suggest that. “Well, If you love Sana so much, you will do what's best for her and her family. You don't want to be the reason for their downfall, do you?"

Dahyun bit her lip and shook her head. She tried her best to hold back her tears.

"Don't test me again, Dahyun. You know I will not hesitate."

Her father left the room, but his words weighed down on Dahyun. She collapsed onto the floor and began to let out the tears that she'd been holding in.

She cried until she had no more tears left to shed. 

Dahyun then checked her phone and saw a text from Sana. And even though she wanted to send a different message, she did what she had to. It was over. There was no plan to fall back on. Dahyun had lost. 

_DH: Hey, I can't make it tonight. Something came up at home._

_I'm sorry, Sana._

_SN: Don't worry about it, silly. (: I'll just see you at the midterm review session on Monday._

Dahyun wanted to believe that maybe she could buy time and fix things. But there was no fixing this mess. Her father had never been one to joke around. He said what he meant, and he meant what he said. 

No matter how much it would hurt, she couldn't let Sana suffer the consequences of her choices. So, she sent Sana one last text, knowing it would most likely be a lie.

_DH: Sure, I'll see you then._


	3. the fallout

Dahyun was not allowed to drive her car to "the meeting" her father had arranged. He did not trust her to show up, given her track record. She was instead dropped off by his chauffeur at her favorite restaurant (owned by Tzuyu’s family) where she would meet this mystery person.

This wasn't any ordinary meeting. According to her father, this person would be "more suitable" for her future than Sana was. Someone he approved of. 

They were to have dinner tonight in the hopes that they hit it off and one day get together. This was the plan her father laid out for her. And because he was still holding Sana’s family's well-being hostage, Dahyun knew she had no choice but to comply.

So for the first time in her life, Dahyun walked into her favorite restaurant with a frown on her face. 

"Miss Dahyun," the hostess welcomed her, "Your table is right this way." She led Dahyun to the back where there was a private dining room.

Dahyun barely calmed down from what had happened that morning with her father. And truth be told, she wanted to be upset at the person she was meeting; but she couldn't really blame them for her father's actions. They had nothing to do with it. She couldn't take it out on them. Dahyun decided that she would at least be courteous and maybe try to have a decent time.

Right at 7:30 PM, the hostess knocked on the door and held it open for Dahyun’s "dinner date". Dahyun didn't know who she was expecting, but definitely not who walked in. 

Myoui Mina, from elementary school. The last time Dahyun saw her was in one of the many photos on Sana’s desk, and even then Dahyun thought she was beautiful. But a photograph could never do the real thing justice.

Dahyun stood up to greet her. "Hi, I'm--"

"--Kim Dahyun," Mina walked up to the table with a gummy smile. "We went to grade school together. I'm not sure if you remember me. I'm--"

"--Myoui Mina. I remember you." Dahyun reciprocated the smile. "But I don't think we've ever formally met."

"Well, it's nice to finally meet you."

"Nice to meet you too. Please, have a seat."

Dahyun had hoped for a distraction-- something to stop the pain and anger she was feeling-- and this was certainly one. Seeing Mina sit across from her at least dissipated her anger, but it wasn't enough to take away the pain. 

"So… I don't really know how to go about this…" Dahyun confessed.

"Well, I think we just order what we want off the menu," Mina came back with a witty reply, earning a small laugh from Dahyun. "I'm kidding, but in all honesty, I'm just as lost as you are. This is the first time I've ever met anyone in this setting." 

Dahyun bit her lip. "It's my first time too. I-- uh-- didn't really have much of a choice."

"Same," Mina sighed.

"Parents, huh?"

"Yeah, you can say that again."

It relieved Dahyun to learn that they were on the same boat. She supposed her misery was desperate for some company. And at least she confirmed that Mina really had no ill intentions about this meeting that they were both forced into.

"Have you ever eaten here before?" Mina asked as she scanned the menu. 

Dahyun nodded. "Yeah, I love it here. This is actually my friend's parent's restaurant."

"Do you eat here for free then?"

"Only when she's around," she laughed.

"Well, maybe you can order for the two of us since you're the expert," Mina said, placing her menu back down on the table.

Dahyun ordered her favorite dishes. And as they waited for the food to arrive, they got to trading stories from their elementary school days. It seemed that it was easier to talk about memories of days gone by, when her biggest problem was the scrape on her knee or what toy she wanted for her birthday.

And maybe Mina shared that sentiment; because when Dahyun asked about her life at Crown College, she didn't mention YES or any friends she may have had. 

All Dahyun knew was that Mina was a fourth-year Architecture and Urban Design student, and that she'd recently moved into an apartment building in the city (which she had a part in designing). She was keeping herself busy with a paid internship at one of the top architectural firms in the city, much to her parents' delight.

They were both treading carefully when talking about their current situation which made Dahyun wonder what Mina was hiding. For now, it was clear that neither of them showed up to this meeting hoping to find romance or a romantic connection.

Maybe she just needed a friend. They both did.

  
  
  


* * *

"I'll definitely be coming here more often," Mina said as she stood up from her chair. "Thanks for paying, Dahyun. You didn't have to."

Dahyun waved her hand. "It's all good! Don't worry about it."

"Do you want to go grab dessert?"

"Oh-- uh-- sure, do you have somewhere in mind?"

"Yeah, I do." Mina bit her lip and nodded her head. "And it’s not too far from here."

Dahyun was about to ask where the cafe was when she remembered she didn't have her car. "Do you mind if I hitch a ride? I kind of lost my car privileges tonight." 

Mina chuckled. "Of course, Dahyun. My car is with the valet. Let's go get it."

They walked out of the restaurant and waited by the door for the valet attendant to bring Mina's car back. After a few minutes, he pulled up with a black Audi R8. Dahyun didn't expect that from Mina. She looked more like a Mercedes driver. 

“Nice car,” Dahyun commented as she admired it from afar.

“Yeah, I like to go fast,” Mina said, looking somewhat smug, “But don’t worry, I’m a safe driver! I promise!” She raised both her hands.

Dahyun gave Mina a thumbs up to let her know that it was fine. “I trust you.”

Mina had to speed to get to the cafe, but only because they realized that it was about to close. Luckily, it only took them less than 15 minutes to get there, and they still had time to spare before the cafe closed. Unfortunately, there didn't seem to be a spot to park in that was close to the shop. 

Not wanting to miss the opportunity to grab sweets, Mina dropped Dahyun off first, so that she could go inside while Mina looked for parking.

“Welcome in-- Dahyun?” It sounded like a familiar voice. 

Dahyun looked toward the cash register to find Jeongyeon standing there, waving at her to come forward.

“What are you doing--” They both said simultaneously. 

“This is my parents' cafe. I work here on some nights to help out,” Jeongyeon said, “And you? Why are you here?”

“Oh, I-- uh--” Dahyun didn’t know what to say. She didn’t expect to see anyone she knew.

“Are you with Sana?” Jeongyeon wriggled her brows. “You two have been spending a lot of time together, huh?” the older girl was hinting at them being an item.

Dahyun hated the irony of it all. “No, I-- I’m not here with Sana." Dahyun tried not to look too affected. "I’m-- uh-- with a new friend of mine, actually. She's just parking her car." 

It was then that Dahyun remembered Jeongyeon and Mina knew each other. She wondered if Mina knowingly brought them to the cafe. Surely, if they had been friends, she would have known Jeongyeon's parents owned the place. Unless maybe they weren’t as close as Dahyun had initially thought.

“Mina…” Jeongyeon blurted out. 

Dahyun followed her gaze and found Mina standing by the door.

Mina walked over to them. “Hi, Jeong. It's been a while.” She greeted Jeongyeon with a half-smile before looping her arm around Dahyun’s. 

“What are you doing here, Mina?” Jeongyeon asked. It was like she'd seen a ghost.

Mina shrugged. “Dahyun and I wanted to grab some dessert. And I remember this place was nearby."

Even though Dahyun knew the answer, she still asked, “How do-- uh-- you two know each other?”

“We go way back,” Mina said, “How do you two know each other?”

“Dahyun is in YES. She filled the spot you left," Jeongyeon replied before Dahyun could say anything.

Mina turned to Dahyun. “You didn’t tell me you were in YES.”

“I didn’t think you’d find it interesting," Dahyun lied. She didn't mention YES because she didn't want to think about Sana. "You never mentioned it either.”

Mina hummed. “I guess I didn’t…” 

“So are you two together or something?” Jeongyeon raised a brow. 

Dahyun shook her head fervently. She didn’t want Jeongyeon to get the wrong idea. “No, we just met. Our parents-- they-- uh-- you know--”

“Ah… right… who needs online dating when you have good old fashioned matchmaking!” Jeong laughed, but it didn't sound real. “Well, we’re about to close soon, so what can I get you two?”

“I’ll have a slice of carrot cake please,” Mina said peeking at the dessert counter to see what options she had left. “Dahyun-- what do you want?” 

“I’ll just have a red velvet cupcake please.” Nevermind the fact that those were also Sana’s favorite flavor.

“Could we get them to go?” 

“Sure.” Jeongyeon grabbed their orders from the counter and boxed them up really quickly. “Here you go.”

“How much?” Mina asked as she took out her wallet.

Jeongyeon shook her head. “It’s on the house. Discount for an old friend and my favorite treasurer.” Jeongyeon gave a tight-lipped smile. 

“Thanks…" Mina said quietly, "It was nice seeing you, Jeong.”

“You too, Mina.” Jeongyeon paused and took a quick breath in, then turned her attention to Dahyun. “See you at the ExCo meeting on Tuesday, Dahyun.”

Dahyun flashed Jeongyeon a hesitant smile. She didn't know if she was going to be present for the next ExCo meeting. She didn't really know what her plan was. 

"Bye, Jeongyeon! Thanks for the cupcake." 

Dahyun caught up to Mina who had been a few steps ahead. They headed for Mina's car together in silence. And although Dahyun had a few questions she wanted to ask, she thought it best not to pry.

Something about that interaction left her feeling confused. 

"Sorry about that," Mina whispered, breaking the silence before she started her car. "We’re a little awkward."

Dahyun wondered if her face had given her emotions away. She didn't want to force Mina to talk about anything she wasn't comfortable with. "Ah, no-- it’s fine, Mina."

"Jeongyeon was…" Mina paused to think, "She was a good friend of mine."

"Was?"

Mina nodded solemnly. "We couldn’t agree on certain things," the older girl said, "It was one of the reasons I left YES." Mina sighed. "I miss it though. All the events. All my friends."

Dahyun placed a hand on Mina's shoulder. "If you want to talk about it, I’m all ears."

Mina put her hand over Dahyun's. "I think that’s a story for another day."

"So we’ll see each other again?" Dahyun asked, raising a brow.

"If you want to."

"Sure, I’d like that."

Dahyun agreed, knowing that she and Mina would never be anything more than friends. Her heart already belonged to someone else (even though she couldn't be with that person). But she also had a gut feeling that maybe Mina's heart wasn't available.

  
  
  


* * *

Dahyun didn't know how to move forward. Her father didn't give her many options. He could track her every move-- where she went, what messages she sent, and to who. She was stuck between a rock and a hard place. 

And Sana (unintentionally, of course) did not make things any easier. Dahyun had received several texts from her throughout the remainder of the weekend, none of which she could reply to, so Dahyun was forced to continue ignoring her without any explanation. 

Because what Dahyun had to say could not be said through text. If she had to end things with Sana, she would do it in-person. But only when she found the right words. And the right words were difficult to come by because she also had a percentage-heavy midterm to study for.

Dahyun didn’t know how to tell Sana, the person she wanted to be with, that they could no longer be together.

By Monday, Dahyun lost track of the number of times Sana tried to call or text her. And she couldn't possibly face the girl because she still didn't know how to put things in words. Instead, Dahyun skipped out on the review session. But she knew she couldn't avoid the midterm, nor could she ditch the YES ExCo meeting. 

Jeongyeon had seen her with Mina, she couldn't risk Sana finding out that way. That would just give Sana the wrong idea.

On the day of the midterm, Dahyun purposely arrived exactly as they were handing out the test papers such that she wouldn't have time to interact with anyone before the exam began. She also tried her best to finish early so that she could leave right away. 

As time ticked away, the ExCo meeting drew closer. Dahyun wasn't ready to talk to Sana but it was inevitable.

The moment Sana walked into Meeting Room C, she asked, “Hey, are you avoiding me?”

Dahyun shook her head. “No, I’m not. I’ve just been studying-- that’s all.”

“Well you’ve been kinda dead on messenger and I didn’t see you in class for the review session yesterday. Then you left so early after the midterm today, I couldn’t even catch you,” Sana poured out everything she’d observed. “What’s going on, Dahyun?”

Dahyun gave her a half shrug.

“What’s up, nerds?” Nayeon boomed as she walked in. She noticed how Sana and Dahyun moved apart. “Sorry, did I interrupt something again?”

Dahyun shook her head and looked away from Sana. “It’s nothing. We were just chatting.”

Jeongyeon and Jihyo weren’t far behind. 

“You all are awfully quiet…” Jihyo mentioned. 

“Yeah, usually we have to shut you three up! What’s going on?” Jeongyeon added.

Dahyun breathed out harshly. “Nothing! Why does everyone think something is going on? Can’t we just be decompressing after a stressful day?” Dahyun yelled. 

Everyone stared at her.

“Whoa… sorry, Dahyun. I didn’t know,” Jihyo apologized. 

Dahyun gathered herself with a deep breath in. “Sorry, everyone. I’m just really stressed… about the midterm.”

“You don’t have to be here if you need a break, Dahyun,” Jeongyeon offered. 

“No, I’m okay. Let’s proceed with the meeting.”

Dahyun sighed as she took her seat. She looked over at Sana who was eyeing her from across the table. Sana looked worried. But she didn’t even know what was coming. 

  
  
  


* * *

After the meeting ended, Jeongyeon immediately turned to Dahyun, and in front of everyone, did as Dahyun had feared.

“So, Dahyun, are you and Mina a thing now?” Jeongyeon inquired, trying to seem nonchalant as she packed her stuff. 

“Huh? Why would you say such a thing?” Dahyun raised her voice and hoped no one was paying attention or heard what Jeong had asked her. 

Jeongyeon raised a brow. “Uh… you were together on Saturday… You came to my parents’ cafe? Dude, are you okay?”

Dahyun turned to look for Sana but the girl was already halfway out the door. 

“Bye,” Sana said harshly as she left without looking back.

Dahyun panicked. “I’m fine, Jeong. Sorry, I gotta go. I’m just dealing with a lot of things. But I promise, there’s nothing going on between Mina and me.” 

Dahyun quickly ran after Sana and pulled her arm to get her attention. “What was that?” Dahyun asked, slightly breathless from the sprint.

Sana furrowed her brows. “You tell me, Dahyun!” she rebutted, “You’ve been ignoring me and now I find out you were on a date with Mina. I--I thought--” Sana sighed. “Nevermind I guess I was stupid to assume anything.”

Sana pulled her arm from Dahyun’s grasp and kept on walking. 

“No, wait! Sana, don’t go!” 

“Tell me what’s going on, Dahyun! I don’t understand you…” Sana ran her hands through her hair. “One second you kiss me and tell me all these nice things, and the next thing I know I’m not even worth a reply.” Sana looked like she was going to say more but held her breath instead.

Dahyun’s hands were trembling as her breathing became erratic. “I don’t know what you want me to say. It’s complicated, Sana. I just-- I can’t--”

“Can’t what, Dahyun? Just make it simple.”

“Simple…” Dahyun exhaled. 

Her body felt like it was about to collapse. Dahyun took another deep breath in to try and steady herself but it wasn’t working. It was now or never, she decided.

Dahyun locked eyes with Sana as she took another breath in. “I can’t be what you want me to be.” And it was out. “What happened between us… it needs to end, Sana.” Dahyun maintained her gaze. “I’m sorry...”

She watched a single tear travel down Sana’s cheek. 

“No, Dahyun, I’m sorry." Sana bit her lip, closing her eyes as she took a sharp breath in. "I guess in the end I still wasn’t enough.”

“Sana...that’s not--”

“But you know what? At least I’m not a liar,” the older girl hissed. “How dare you! You played with my heart!” Sana raised a finger at her. “You made me believe in something that wasn't real,” her voice cracked. 

Dahyun had nothing left to say.

Sana nodded her head and walked away, but this time Dahyun let her go. There was no point in chasing Sana when she knew she couldn’t even be there to comfort her. 

Sana was right about one thing. Dahyun was a liar. But not in the way Sana had perceived.

  
  
  


* * *

Sana ran to her car and locked herself inside. Her heart had just been crushed to pieces by someone she never even wanted to give it to in the first place. But Kim Dahyun, with her charming smile and stellar personality, managed to worm her way in. 

She should have known better. She should have been more careful. But there was nothing she could do now. Sana had already given her heart to Dahyun and the girl just threw it away like it was nothing.

Just as she was about to start her car, Sana heard an obnoxious knock on the passenger side’s window. 

It was Nayeon.

“Hey! Open the damn door!” Nayeon yelled as she continued to bang on the glass. “What’s going on with you?” 

“Leave me alone, Nayeon!”

“No, let me in! I’m not moving until you do.” Nayeon leaned her back on the car and folded her arms, refusing to budge.

Sana rolled her eyes and sighed. She knew Nayeon wasn't going to move and she didn't want to run her over. “Ugh-- fine! Get in!” She unlocked the door. 

Nayeon slid inside and shut the door. “Why are you crying? What happened with Dahyun?” Nayeon asked, no holds barred.

“It’s nothing.”

“Doesn’t look like nothing.”

“It was just a misunderstanding," Sana let out with an exasperated sigh. 

“Misunderstandings don't look like this though." Nayeon shook her head. She refused to buy into Sana’s lies. "You can tell me what's going on, Sana. We've known each other since we were kids. You have nothing to hide from me.”

Sana craned her neck backward and pinched the bridge of her nose in frustration. Her best friend was relentless. “Fine!" Sana yelled, "I like her, okay?”

“I figured as much," Nayeon replied, satisfied with herself. 

“Congratulations, Nayeon. You were right all along. I did like Dahyun. But you know what? She doesn't like me back," Sana barked, "So I guess you owe me $100."

“Bullshit.”

“What?”

“Have you seen her?" Nayeon exclaimed, "That girl is whipped! She totally likes you-- maybe even loves you.”

“Right," Sana scoffed, "Well, that's not what she said.”

“What do you mean?”

“It doesn't matter." Sana placed her hand on the steering wheel. "Whatever thing we had is over now. She doesn't want to be with me." She pushed the button to start the engine. "Now please, get out of my car so I can go home. You can forget about the $100, I don’t even want it anymore.”

Nayeon was in disbelief, but she willingly exited. Sana left soon after.

  
  
  


* * *

Dahyun drove around in circles for hours. Anywhere but home, she thought. Her fingers were still trembling on the steering wheel as the tears continued to flow. All she could think about was how much she’d hurt Sana.

At some point she found herself driving towards the beach. How ironic: to be driving to the place where things first started to change in her relationship with Sana now that things were over. 

Dahyun parked her car where she usually did and walked onto the sand as Sana would have done. She stood there for a while, silently watching the waves as they hit the shore. And again, mirroring Sana, Dahyun leaned back until gravity took over and she collapsed onto the sand.

She hated sand, but there she was lying on it, staring at the sky above. She let out a scream, not caring if some of the people around stared at her.

Her phone then started to ring. She looked at the screen and answered the call. 

"Come home now," her father commanded. 

"Are you happy?" Dahyun asked monotonously. "I've ended things with Sana. I'm pretty sure she hates me." Her voice was muffled from all the crying.

"Good, that means she's out of your life. Stop wasting your time on people who will leave you."

Dahyun scoffed. "She didn't leave. I pushed her away."

"Keep telling yourself that, kid. As if she wouldn't have left you one day when she got bored of you," her father argued, "Your family is who will be there for you until the end. Remember that when you come home tonight." 

He hung up the phone immediately after.

Dahyun didn't want to return home to a place that didn't feel much like it. But she knew she had nowhere else to go because her father was tracking her. That is, she realized, that he was tracking her through her phone and her car. Maybe there was a way out. Just for a while. So that she could think.

In that moment, Dahyun made a decision to disappear. 

She looked around and found a nearby restaurant that was still open. Without a second thought, Dahyun walked in, borrowed their phone, and asked a favor from a new friend.

All she had to do was wait. 

  
  
  


* * *

As Dahyun waited, she texted Tzuyu and Chaeyoung and told them not to worry about her. She was very vague about her situation, but she didn’t want them to worry. Dahyun also emailed her professors. She let them know that she would likely be missing their lectures and didn't know when she'd be back, but she'd still try to keep up with the work. 

Dahyun did this to cover her bases. She knew her father could easily access her phone log or her emails so she couldn't be specific. Dahyun then ditched her phone in her car and sat outside waiting patiently for her friend

About 40 minutes after she'd made the phone call, a black Audi R8 pulled up beside her car. Mina had finally arrived. The older girl stepped out of her car and found Dahyun seated on the floor by the front bumper. 

"Dahyun, are you okay? What's going on?" she asked, squatting in front of Dahyun.

Dahyun thought she was done crying, but apparently not. The moment she attempted to speak, the tears came out. "Mina, I really need a friend right now,” Dahyun sobbed.

She tried her best to explain everything to her new friend. Dahyun told Mina about Sana, about her father's threat towards the Minatozaki family, about how she’d ended up breaking it off. Everything she could recall at that moment came out. 

Dahyun didn't know why she was spilling her guts out to Mina. 

Maybe it was because they barely knew each other and she wouldn't feel judged. Maybe it was because she knew Mina wouldn't impose any opinions on her.

"When I said we should meet up again, this wasn't how I pictured it," Dahyun said in an attempt to lighten the mood and make herself feel better. 

It didn't work much.

"I'm so sorry to hear about what's been happening to you, Dahyun,” Mina cooed as she reached out to hold Dahyun’s hand. “What do you need from me? How can I help you?"

"I just need to get away for a bit. Disappear. You said you lived on your own, so I thought-- if you didn't mind-- I could stay with you for a bit?" Dahyun mumbled. She knew it was a lot to ask from someone she'd just met. But she was desperate. "You won't even know I'm there, I swear."

"Oh… Dahyun, are you sure about this? Won't people be worried and looking for you?" Mina searched her eyes for any signs of doubt.

But Dahyun knew what she wanted to do. She couldn’t go home. She couldn’t go to Sana. Anywhere else would be too obvious. Mina was her only option.

"I've already texted my best friends. They know I'm safe. I just need some time for myself."

Mina understood. "Okay, let's go."

  
  
  


* * *

Sana lost track of time. It felt like she'd been lying in her bed, staring at the ceiling, waiting for something to make her feel better for forever. But at the same time, she didn’t want to talk to anyone because there was nothing to be done. 

Talking to her best friends wouldn’t bring Dahyun back. And begging was beneath her, so she definitely wasn’t planning to talk to Dahyun either.

At some point, the sadness she initially felt turned into anger, leaving a bitter taste in her mouth. Truth be told, she wasn’t really sure who the anger was directed towards. It could have been Dahyun, but really she was more upset at herself for falling for the girl in the first place.

Sana sighed and thought about going to bed. She had a whole day of lectures and discussions to deal with. She needed to stop crying over Dahyun.

But then, just as she had turned off the lights, her phone suddenly started to ring. She looked to check who it was and the time on the clock display.

4:29 AM. Kim Dahyun (with a white heart emoji beside the name)

Sana didn't answer and dropped the call. It rang again.

4:30 AM. Kim Dahyun. 

She still didn’t answer, but instead, let the call ring out. She didn't want to talk to anyone-- especially not Dahyun. 

After her phone stopped ringing, Sana thought she finally had peace. But of course, the ringing started again. The audacity of this girl, Sana thought. She couldn't believe Dahyun had the gall to call her after everything she had put Sana through.

Knowing that things wouldn't stop until she ended it, Sana picked up the phone and yelled, "What do you want! Stop calling me, Dahyun!"

"Hello?" a voice that definitely wasn't Dahyun's replied from the other end. 

Sana took a look at the call log again. Kim Dahyun, it said. 

"Hello? Minatozaki Sana?" the voice called her name.

"Who is this?" Sana asked, completely spooked. 

The man cleared his throat and spoke, "This is Dahyun's father." 

Sana gasped. "I'm sorry, sir, I didn't expect it would be you." His voice started to sound more familiar. 

"Are you with my daughter?" he asked sternly.

"N--no, sir. I’m not with Dahyun. She-- um-- didn't want to have anything to do with me.” She remembered the moment vividly, feeling a pang in her heart at the thought. "What's wrong? Did something happen?"

Sana heard him sigh and inform someone else that Dahyun was not with her.

"She didn't come home last night and we found her car abandoned by the beach,” Dahyun’s father said, “She left her phone inside the car."

Sana’s jaw slacked, her heart dropping at the thought of something terrible happening to Dahyun. "What? Where is she?"

"I thought you would know…” It sounded like he had lost hope.

"No, sir, I don't know where she is.” Sana’s hands were trembling. “I'm sorry. How can I-- is there anything I can do to help?"

"You're going to help?” he asked, seemingly surprised, “Even after she’d hurt you?"

Sana furrowed her brows. "Of course. I-- I still care about her. I won't stop looking until we find her and make sure she's safe."

In the back of her mind, Sana wondered how he knew about what had happened between Dahyun and her. But she knew that there were more pressing matters at hand. 

"Thank you… Sana," he said, somewhat hesitant. 

"Sir, did you say her car was at the beach?"

"Yes."

"I'll be right there. Maybe she left a message or something."

Sana grabbed a light hoodie and her keys and headed for her car. She didn’t care what time it was or if she would lose sleep. 

All she wanted to do was bring Dahyun back. Not for herself, but for Dahyun's own sake.

  
  
  


* * *

Dahyun hadn’t moved from the couch all day-- not for water nor for food. She’d been at Mina's place for nearly 21 hours and had only gotten up to use the bathroom once or twice. 

That worried Mina, so the older girl decided to get some food for both of them. When she came back, it was half-past 8 and she brought in several bags of food with her.

“Hey, I know you said I wouldn’t even know you were here, but I didn’t think you meant you wouldn’t take care of yourself.” Mina tried to pull Dahyun up, but she wouldn’t budge. “Come on, please, Dahyun. You need to eat something.”

Dahyun sighed and sat up, immediately feeling lightheaded and weak as she did so.

“I wasn't sure what you wanted, so I-- uh-- got a whole lot of stuff,” Mina said. 

She began to take the food out of each bag, laying them on the coffee table for Dahyun.

“Thanks, Mina,” Dahyun flashed the older girl a half-smile. “You really didn’t have to do this. I’m already troubling you enough by being here--”

“Hey! It’s no problem, okay? I agreed to this,” Mina reassured, “Stay as long as you need.”

“Thanks.”

Dahyun eyed the food in front of her. She didn't think she was hungry, but her body felt weak. Mina was right, she needed to eat. And she was certainly spoiled for choice. Mina wasn’t lying when she said she bought a whole lot of stuff. 

They ate together in silence. When they both finished, Dahyun helped Mina pack all the leftovers and clean the coffee table. 

"How are you feeling?" Mina asked, examining Dahyun carefully as they both sat back down on the couch.

"Better." This wasn't a lie. Dahyun definitely needed food in her system and was feeling better after she'd gotten to eat. "Thank you, Mina."

"I'm right here if you want to talk… about anything." Mina was apprehensive in her tone and probably didn't want to push Dahyun.

Dahyun’s mind was a jumbled mess. Maybe she needed somebody to help her figure things out. "Can I ask you something?"

"Sure."

"What would you have done, if you were in my shoes?" Dahyun asked, nervously fiddling with her fingers. "I can't help but feel like I've made a mistake. Maybe I should have fought harder for Sana."

Mina tilted her head to the side. "You weren't really given much of a choice, were you, though? It may seem like you were, but your hand was forced."

"I mean, yeah. Maybe. I don't know." Dahyun shrugged. "I just wish that I could have done more."

Thinking back, Dahyun didn't really know what else she could have done. She didn't have the time nor the mental capacity to think things over then. Things just happened. 

"We do what we think is best for the people we love. And that's all we can ever really do," Mina said, insisting that Dahyun not be so harsh on herself. 

Dahyun bit her lip. "Do you really think that? Or are you just saying that to make me feel better?"

"I really believe it-- now, more than ever." Mina flashed her a tight-lipped smile. "I didn't always think that way, but seeing you struggle and hearing how hard it's been on you, has changed my perspective." 

Dahyun raised a brow. "How so?"

"I guess it's time I came clean about my reasons for leaving YES," Mina said, leaning back on her couch and staring at the wall across from them. 

Dahyun mimicked her action. 

Mina took a deep breath in and then spoke, "Jeongyeon and I used to be together; and like you and Sana, we weren't public with our relationship. Only Jihyo knew about us."

Dahyun's hunch had been right. She knew there was something strange about Mina and Jeongyeon's interaction.

"Two years, we were together, but we'd been friends for way longer," Mina recalled. She smiled for a second, but then her smile quickly disappeared. "Sometime early this year, around my birthday, my parents started talking to me about finding a suitable partner."

"But you were with Jeongyeon at the time?"

The older girl nodded. "They were going to try to set me up with someone, so that was when I told them about my relationship with Jeongyeon." Mina balled her fists as they rested on her lap. "They didn't approve of her and wanted me to end things immediately. They said she wouldn't be good for me." 

"What did you do?"

"I knew I couldn't figure it out alone, so I told Jeong what they said."

"And?"

"She agreed with my parents and it broke my heart." Mina's voice cracked.

Dahyun noticed that there were tears welling up in her eyes.

"We ended things right then and there. I only showed up to YES events to finish up the school year, but I might as well have disappeared. I didn't really talk to anyone anymore or give any input on things." 

"I'm sorry, Mina."

"For a very long time, I was angry at her. I hated the fact that she hurt me. I hated the fact that she didn't fight for us,” Mina sighed. “But I could never really bring myself to hate her. I wanted to though.”

Dahyun wondered if Sana hated her. 

"When I brought you to her parents' cafe the other day, I wanted to hurt her," Mina confessed, "But she was still the same person-- still kind-- doing what she thought was right by others."

"Ah… so you did know she would be there. I was wondering that."

"I'm sorry for using you." Mina looked Dahyun in the eyes.

Dahyun chuckled lightly. "Well, I didn't really know I was being used. But you're forgiven."

"I wanted to believe that she was selfish. So it would have given me a reason to hate or even dislike her." Mina ran her hands through her hair and then hugged herself. "But now, after helping you, I realized that she probably just did what she thought was best for me." 

Mina looked like regret, and Dahyun wondered how long she'd been keeping this in. She held Mina's hand, letting the girl know that she had a friend. 

Mina smiled and wiped her tears away. "So I guess that's why I think you shouldn't beat yourself up for doing what you did."

"If I may say so," Dahyun began, "I'm pretty sure you and Jeongyeon both still love each other. Maybe it's worth another shot?"

"Maybe. But that's complicated." Mina tried to avoid her gaze.

"Is it though? Or are you just scared?" Dahyun lowered her head and searched Mina's eyes for the truth. 

But Mina waved her off. "Hey, I'm supposed to be helping you, remember? Not the other way around."

Dahyun smiled. "We can help each other. You’ve helped me plenty."

"I guess so."

Dahyun was glad she'd called Mina that night. They both needed each other in a way that neither of them could have predicted. From all the chaos that had happened recently, Dahyun was thankful that something good came out of it.

  
  
  


* * *

When Thursday came, Sana expected Dahyun to show up for their Microecon lecture, so she sat by the entrance. She could barely focus on what Professor Jung was talking about because she’d been too busy watching the door, hoping Kim Dahyun would miraculously show up. 

But the younger girl never did. 

At the end of the lecture, Sana walked down to meet Tzuyu and Momo who had been sitting by their usual seats at the front. At this point, everyone in their social circles had been recruited to try and locate Dahyun.

“It’s not like her to skip out on class,” Tzuyu said as she packed up her laptop in her bag. “She was always the girl who got the award for the perfect attendance.”

“Do either of you have any ideas at all where she could have gone?” Momo asked.

Tzuyu shook her head. “Her parents have tracked everything: card purchases, phone logs, location logs, but nothing. I don’t understand.” Tzuyu slung her bag across her shoulder and started heading out of the lecture hall. “Why would she just leave like that? Did something happen recently?”

Momo nudged Sana to tell Tzuyu about what had happened between her and Dahyun.

“Oh-- uh-- I guess you didn’t know.” Sana was glad she could still trust Momo to keep a secret (even from her girlfriend). 

Tzuyu furrowed her brows and looked at Momo. 

“Hey, don’t look at me. It’s not my business to tell,” Momo said, raising both her hands defensively.

Sana bit her lip. It was a little awkward to admit in public. “I mean,, we were never officially together, but Dahyun kind of broke up with me the night she disappeared.”

“What? Why?” Tzuyu’s jaw dropped. She looked utterly confused.

“I don’t know. It doesn’t matter--”

“Yes, it does! She was crazy about you,” Tzuyu insisted.

“Well, you should have heard what she had to say to me the other night,” Sana muttered. 

“This isn’t making any sense.” Tzuyu stopped dead in her tracks and paced back and forth. “Wait, what exactly did she say to you?” she asked Sana.

Sana didn't really want to think about it because it hurt. But she swallowed her pride and worked through the pain to recall what Dahyun had said. 

“She said that she couldn’t be what I wanted her to be-- that whatever happened between us needed to end.”

“I don’t think that’s Dahyun talking,” said Tzuyu, shaking her head.

“What do you mean?” Sana tilted her head sideways.

Tzuyu hesitated, unsure if it was in her place to say. “Sana, Dahyun’s father never liked you very much,” she revealed, “Um-- she-- uh-- told me about it a month ago; how he didn’t want her to see you anymore.”

“But we’ve been going out--”

“Behind her father’s back.” Tzuyu rubbed her temples. “He must have found out that she'd been lying to him.”

Sana sighed and looked at the ground beneath her feet. “She never told me this.”

Tzuyu placed a gentle hand on her shoulder, calling her attention.

“She didn’t want you to be hurt by what he thought, because she didn’t care about it. She just wanted to be with you.” Tzuyu flashed her a sad smile. “So hearing that she broke it off with you leaves me to think that it was never her choice.”

Sana huffed out a breath and puffed up her cheeks. “But that still doesn’t explain why she disappeared.”

“Maybe she was just tired of everything,” Momo chimed in.

“I wouldn’t blame her,” Sana whispered. 

“She’ll turn up sooner or later-- once she figures things out. I know it,” Tzuyu affirmed. “She’s not stupid enough to do anything reckless. I’ll keep my eyes and ears open though.”

“I’m sure we’ll find her, Sana,” Momo comforted, “With Nayeon, me, Tzuyu, and Chaeyoung-- heck, you even got Jeong and Jihyo looking-- I’m sure we’ll find her.”

“Where are you heading now?” Tzuyu asked.

Sana shrugged. “Not sure yet. I’m going to keep looking, I guess. I don’t really know what else to do.”

“Maybe you should rest,” Tzuyu suggested, “You look spent-- no offense.” 

Sana chuckled lightly. “None taken.”

“You should come have lunch with Tzuyu, Chaeyoung, and me. We can all go looking for her after.”

“I think I’ll pass for now. Thanks for the offer though.”

“Take care of yourself, Sana.” Tzuyu and Momo said in unison. 

Sana smiled and bid them goodbye. “Will do. Thanks, Mo. Thanks, Tzuyu.” 

  
  
  


* * *

Listening to her friends’ advice, Sana drove home to grab some food and get some rest. She didn’t sleep much in the past two days nor did she have the appetite to eat. Both physically and mentally, she was showing signs of fatigue.

However, she knew that if she wanted to have the energy to keep searching for Dahyun, she needed to let her body rest. And so she did. 

Sana went to her room and promised herself a quick nap. Only, by the time Sana woke up again, the sun was setting and it was getting dark outside. She had slept longer than she wanted. 

Regardless, Sana had to move forward. She checked her phone to look at the time and the clock display said 6:30 PM. It had been almost 48 hours since she last saw Dahyun. But with her newfound energy, Sana restarted her search.

Sana drove around the city, to the places she’d visited with Dahyun, checking each café and each restaurant to see if she could chance upon the younger girl. But after a few hours of searching, her efforts were fruitless and Dahyun’s whereabouts still remained a mystery. 

At the end of it all, Sana found herself at the beach again, like she’d done many times before. Only, this time, she didn’t go there for herself. She sat on a bench near the boardwalk and waited, hoping Dahyun would show up, because this was the last place she was traced.

This place had become special to them somehow. At least, Sana wanted to believe that.

So when a familiar white Lexus appeared, Sana’s spirit felt like it had been lifted from beneath the ground. She knew that car anywhere, memorizing the plate number like the back of her hand. 

Sana stood up, readying herself for the moment she would see Dahyun again. But instead of a pale twenty-something-year-old girl, an older gentleman exited the driver's side, his face weary and downcast. Dahyun's father drove her car back to the beach. He didn't seem to notice Sana standing there.

Another disappointment to add to the list, Sana thought as she sat back down. She wondered if she should call him over. Knowing now that he had never liked her, Sana was hesitant. But she recognized those tired eyes. They shared a similar burden. 

And so, Sana went against her initial judgment and waved at him. 

He walked towards her. "It looks like we had the same idea," he said, "Do you mind if I sit next to you?"

"No, sir. Go ahead."

They sat in silence for a while. 

Sana wanted to ask him why he didn't like her, but she didn’t think it was a good idea. And maybe part of her didn't want to know.

But as if he'd read her mind, he suddenly said, "I was wrong about you, Sana." 

Sana was stunned. From what Dahyun had told her, the girl's father had never been one to admit his faults. She didn't know what to say, so she let him do the talking. 

"You're a good kid. Dahyun would be lucky to have you in her life, and I know now that you would always stay by her side."

Even though Tzuyu suspected that Dahyun’s father was behind their break up, Sana didn't actually have any proof. All she had were Dahyun’s words. 

"She made it pretty clear that she didn't want to be with me, sir. I'm respecting her decision." 

"I'm afraid she didn't really have a choice. It was my doing." 

And there it was, the answer she'd been waiting for. 

"I told her to end things with you because I misjudged you," Dahyun’s father admitted, "I had her make a choice to save your father's company-- which I'm sure you know is not doing too well-- or her relationship with you..."

He continued to talk about what he'd said to force Dahyun to break up with her. All of it terrified Sana. Her heart broke for Dahyun, and the fact that she had carried that burden alone. 

"Why would you do something so cruel?" Sana didn't mean to be blunt, but it just came out that way.

Dahyun's father sighed. "My father taught me to do right by our family, by our business at any cost. And I thought I was doing her a favor. But I was wrong… about a lot of things." He closed his eyes and inhaled deeply. "Forgive me, Sana."

"I don't think you should be apologizing to me, sir."

"Right now, I would give anything to have her back. I just want her safe."

"Me too."

Just then Sana’s phone buzzed in her pocket. She had received a text from Jeongyeon.

_ JY: I know where Dahyun is.  _

Sana showed the message to Dahyun’s father. It was quickly followed by a location that Jeongyeon had also sent. 

"You should go to her," Dahyun's father said. 

"With all due respect, sir, I think you also need to be there."


	4. the landing

Dahyun sat on her own at a small corner table, just by the entrance, inside Jeongyeon's parents' cafe. She had accompanied Mina so that she could talk to Jeongyeon who had been working that night. 

They'd arrived just as the store closed so that no patrons would have needed to be attended to. Jeongyeon let them in and proceeded to close the cafe, leaving only one light on-- the one above the register.

Though she was happy that both of her friends were able to work through their feelings, it felt a little awkward for Dahyun to be there, like she was some child waiting for adults to finish their conversations. That was why she decided to sit as far from them as possible and busied herself with her own thoughts, leaning on the glass of the storefront. 

She had yet to figure out how she was going to move forward. Everything seemed a little hazy. She was honestly quite terrified to face the consequences of her running away from home. Knowing her father, he would probably never allow her to leave the house again except to go to class.

And going to class meant seeing someone she also didn't know how to face. It was inevitable that Dahyun would see Sana again. She just didn't know where to begin. Would an apology even be welcomed? What was she going to apologize for? Dahyun had many unanswered questions. All of them about Sana. 

As she was contemplating a plan to move forward, a loud knock on the glass interrupted her. 

Dahyun rolled her eyes. The sign clearly stated that the cafe had been closed. It didn't matter if there were people inside, they were not accepting customers. 

"Cafe's closed!" she yelled, not bothering to turn around.

Mina and Jeongyeon looked at each other and then looked at Dahyun and laughed to themselves.

But the knocking persisted. 

With a disgruntled sigh, Dahyun turned around. But what she found-- or rather, who she found-- took her by surprise. 

She stopped breathing for a second. Maybe longer. 

Sana stood on the opposite side of the storefront window. She had tears in her eyes as she kept her palm against the glass. Jeongyeon then tossed Dahyun the keys to unlock the door. Once the door was unlocked, Dahyun immediately ran outside. 

To her surprise, her father was standing behind Sana, a few feet away. She didn't know how to feel. 

"What is he doing here?" Dahyun asked with a bit of bitterness and bite. 

Sana stepped aside, urging her father to come forward. "He told me everything, Dahyun. And he has something to say, but of course, it's your choice if you want to hear him out."

Dahyun nodded her head, hesitant to expect anything out of the ordinary. 

He immediately came forward and enveloped her in a tight embrace. Dahyun, still scarred from everything that he'd done, didn't reciprocate and stood still. 

He released her and cleared his throat, preparing to speak. "I'm sorry, Dahyun. I've made a lot of mistakes in life, but none I've regretted quite as much as almost losing you."

In all twenty-one years of her life, not once did Dahyun recall her father apologizing for anything or admitting his mistakes. But here he was willingly doing so.

"I was wrong to judge Sana without even knowing her. I was wrong for trying to control who you loved and how you lived," he continued, "I know it's a lot to ask, and I won't blame you if that's not an option."

Dahyun’s father reached out to hold her hand. She let him.

"I just hope you know that from now on, you will have my support, in whatever you decide to do and who you decide to love," he said earnestly.

Dahyun couldn’t believe what she was hearing. She was relieved, of course, that her father wasn't furious with her for running away like that. And moreover, he actually felt guilty for what he'd done. But she couldn't pretend that everything was okay just because he had apologized. 

"I don't think I can forgive you just yet. But thank you, Dad, for admitting you were wrong," Dahyun said, "Your support means a lot to me."

"Sana’s a good catch." He looked over at the girl, giving her a nod of approval. "Don't blow it, kid." 

"Thanks, Dad." 

Dahyun's father stepped aside, giving Sana room to talk to Dahyun. He left knowing his daughter was in good hands and that they had made peace. Dahyun looked forward to what kind of relationship they could build from this as they moved on.

Taking a deep breath in, Sana reached out to hold Dahyun’s hands in her. They stood still for a moment, letting the world pass them by as they locked eyes.

There was an unspoken tension of things that had been left unsaid, but needed to be addressed. It was just that neither knew where to begin. Dahyun took it upon herself to be the first to speak-- since she had caused a lot of trouble-- but Sana beat her to it.

"For someone who's so smart, you're actually quite a big idiot, Kim Dahyun," Sana huffed, allowing a few tears to shed. 

Dahyun couldn’t help but laugh. She also had tears welling up in her eyes. "I know. I'm an idiot."

"You're my idiot though." Sana wrapped her arms around Dahyun's neck, pulling her in close. 

"I am yours. If you'll take me back, that is," Dahyun whispered, burying her head in the crook of Sana's neck. 

Sana pulled away and pretended to think about it for a second. She then shot Dahyun a cheeky smile and nodded her head. "Wouldn’t have it any other way."

"I'm never letting you go again." Dahyun fixed the strands of hair that fell in front of Sana's face. 

"Good. Because I'm in this for the long haul."

They both took a deep breath in together, letting their emotions settle. 

Dahyun was glad that they could jump back to the feeling as if nothing had happened. But she couldn't pretend like nothing did. She had caused Sana a lot of pain, and that needed to be acknowledged.

Dahyun reached out to hold Sana's hand and placed a gentle kiss on her knuckles. "I'm sorry for hurting you, Sana."

"It wasn't your fault. You were protecting me from your own father," Sana said, cupping Dahyun’s cheek in her hand. "But I wish you would have just told me. We could have figured something out together instead of you bearing this burden on your own."

Dahyun leaned into the touch. "I'm really an idiot, huh?"

"Yes," Sana teased, "But it's okay, because now we know better."

"And look, you got my father to change his mind." 

"I think that was mostly because of you, but I am happy to hear that we are in the clear." 

Sana looked at Dahyun as if she were memorizing every feature. She pouted her lips and then proceeded to squeeze Dahyun’s cheek. 

"But don't you dare run away like that again! I thought I'd lost you for good."

Dahyun chuckled. "Well, you found me."

"I'm never letting you go." Sana held Dahyun close and placed a chaste kiss on her forehead. 

"Sana?" Dahyun tilted her head so that she could see Sana's eyes. 

"Hmm?"

Dahyun pulled away a little to give herself space to say something she'd been meaning to say for a while. 

In her life, she had always been obsessed with finding the right way of doing things, or doing things in the best way possible. But in that moment, as she stood a few inches from Sana, eye to eye, she let things go. 

Her feelings weren't complicated at all. She needed Sana to know that.

"I love you, Sana. More than words could even begin to describe," Dahyun said, her heart beating uncontrollably. She'd never been more sure of anything. "You were always more than enough-- more than I deserved really." She laughed lightly. "If you don't mind, I would really love it if we could pick up where we left off before all of this."

Sana rubbed her eyes, wiping away the tears that she couldn't contain. Her heart was full and she was smiling from ear to ear. "I would love that too," Sana echoed, taking a step closer to Dahyun. "And you know what?"

"What?" Dahyun whispered as she inched closer.

"I love you too." 

Dahyun took the liberty to close the gap between them. She kissed Sana slowly, making up for all the kisses they'd missed out on in the past few days, but also knowing that they would have a whole lifetime of kisses ahead of them. 

There was no need to rush.

Kim Dahyun never imagined that she would like Minatozaki Sana, let alone fall in love with her. But Sana, with her charming personality and quick wit, wormed her way into Dahyun’s heart and stole it for safekeeping. 

They were very different, yet one and the same. Maybe they were two sides of the same coin, melded together by fate, and bound to each other for life. 

**Author's Note:**

> This was really fun to write! If you've gotten this far, thanks for reading. Let me know if it made you feel things (: 
> 
> -kit.


End file.
